Change in parade plan draws dissent
ZELIENOPLE — A change to the borough's Christmas celebration was met with some resistance during Monday's council meeting.
Council was asked to consider a proposal by the Zelienople Area Business Association to hold the annual Christmas parade at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 — a Thursday. Historically, the downtown parade had been held on a Saturday morning on Main Street.
Instead, Dan Fritch of the business association explained the group's desire to hold the parade on the same night as the opening of Santa's house as well as the annual Miracle on Main Street event, slated from 6 to 9 p.m.
He said there also will be an increased focus on promoting Small Business Saturday events Nov. 30, although details still are being finalized.
“We know it is a big break with tradition ... but we're trying to make Small Business Saturday an all-day event,” Fritch said.
However, the change in day for the parade was greeted by concerns from borough officials.
The request from the associations asked that Main Street be cleared for the parade, and that parking be permitted in nonmunicipal lots.
Police Chief James Miller said this was possible, but noted that his officers would need to begin clearing out Main Street by 4 p.m. at the latest, and likely earlier. He said with that, 66 parking spaces would be lost. He said he did not want business owners to be surprised at the loss of parking for what could be several hours.
Council members also shared those concerns, including Andrew Mathew and Mary Hess. They said as business owners, they worried potential patrons would be frustrated by the lack of parking. Mathew expressed additional concern about holding too many events in one evening.
“Miracle on Main was nice because people just walked up and down” visiting businesses, he said. “Now, people are going to stand, watch the parade and they're going to leave.”
After discussion, organizers and council agreed to allow parking to continue on Main Street during the parade, which they estimated lasts about 25 minutes. Miller said measures will be put in place to ensure nobody attempts to leave their parking space during the parade.
Council approved the matter, with Mathew casting the lone dissenting vote.
