Asheville’s annual holiday parade has marched, motored, biked, skated, danced, twirled, drummed and sung its way through the city for 60 years, leaving candy and, more recently, compact fluorescent light bulbs in its wake. Until this year, the event has been sponsored by the Asheville Merchants Association, but now that group wants to hand the happiness to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.
Parks and Rec and the AMA will host a public forum regarding the annual parade’s operations at the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center on Thursday, Nov. 1, at 5:30 p.m. The association is asking Parks and Rec to take over the management of the holiday event beginning in 2008 and is asking for the community’s input regarding parade operations, funding, programming and general community support.
The Stephens-Lee Recreation Center is located at 30 George Washington Carver St. For more information on the holiday parade, visit the AMA Web site. For questions about the public meeting, contact Melissa Porter at 828-259-5689.
— Cecil Bothwell, staff writer
photo by Jonathan Welch
I think it is high time to end this “tradition.”
It won’t be long before the parade route is once again blocked by the construction of the Ellington on Biltmore Avenue.
On the other hand, I’ve watched the parade for many years since I was a small boy in the 1950s. During my four years of high school, I marched in the parade (61-64) playing my trombone.
I say it’s an important tradition and should be continued for future generations.