Archive for Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Caroline Dotson: Frustrating parade route
October 20, 2009
I am the owner of a business in downtown Craig and I am frustrated with the new parade route that was implemented during the homecoming parade earlier this month.
When I heard about the changing parade route, two days before the parade, I didn't understand the reasoning behind the new change. In the past, I have been a parade participant and we lined up by Breeze Street park.
Now I understand that the parade lines up farther north on Yampa, at the middle school, because there is more room to organize there. But since the back parking lot is not accessible this year, the whole parade route has been changed, shifting away from the main part of downtown.
For all the downtown business, parades are a crucial part of customer awareness during the year.
We, as businesses, support many local organizations that participate in the parades and/or the local organizations that put the parades together.
If the parade and all the on-lookers are not going downtown to view the parades, how can those businesses be expected to continue to support those local organizations?
The traditional parade route goes south on Yampa from Ninth Street, turns west on to Victory Way, and then North on Ledford so that everyone in town can easily be entertained by the parades.
The businesses of the Downtown Business Association need the parade route to return to its original, traditional route. The new parking lot in front of the middle school would be ideal to line up parade participants, or Breeze Street park could be used again.
I don't see the necessity to change the parade route when there are other options that allow the parade to stay on its traditional route down Yampa, through historic downtown Craig.
Please reconsider for the remaining parades this fiscal year.
Caroline Dotson
DBA member and
owner of Downtown Books & Beads
20 October 2009
at 9:03 a.m.
Suggest removal
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lonelyone (Anonymous) says…
You only heard about it two days before the parade?? It had been in the paper several times for a few weeks before the parade!! In fact several of us commented on it. And it's my understanding that this is not a permanent thing. Personally I don't think the parking lot on 9th street is anywhere big enough to get ready for a parade and I never thought you supported homecoming because it brought business into the stores. It was supported because it is homecoming.
You do have a good point tho in that past parades have gathered and started from the Breeze St. park and I, too see no reason they can't begin from there until construction is done at the school.
20 October 2009
at 9:57 a.m.
Suggest removal
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DAILYREADER (Anonymous) says…
since when are the parades put on to promote downtown business???
21 October 2009
at 7 a.m.
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calvinhobbs (Anonymous) says…
The homecoming parade has lined up in the North lot at CMS as long as I can remember. The new route was in the paper weeks before the parade. The new lot on 9th street CANNOT be used as CMS and Sandrock have school on homecoming. Try moving down 9th street before or after school. As other have said, the route will probably return to the old route, but it is not a parade for the business downtown.