Christmas Parade

Gardendale Christmas Parade Application

Thursday, December 5, 2019, at 6 pm

1 Acknowledgement
2 Event Rules
3 Application
  • We want everyone to be aware from the beginning of the process of signing up to participate in the parade that the throwing or giving out of candy or promotional items other than paper coupons will not be allowed during the parade by any participant this year. We tried a process last year to control the throwing of candy which a large majority of participants followed but it only takes a few to affect the many. An incident occurred at last year’s parade that could have been a disaster for our community which required this decision. This is the content of an email that described the incident from the view of a long-time resident Marty Hawkins to our Mayor Stan Hogeland:

    Stan, this is Marty Hawkins. I didn’t know if you had heard about the little boy in front of AT&T that fell and rolled in front of a truck. I was the one who pulled him away from the wheel. His head was inches from the tire. I felt you would want to know about it if you haven’t heard already. He was around five years old and his young parents were not watching him like they should have been. With candy everywhere in the street, he ran out as a large 4-wheel drive jacked up truck was approaching. I saw him and went after him. As he bent down to get the candy, he stumbled and rolled in front of the driver's side front wheel. Just as he rolled, I was able to grab the back of his jacket and jerk him back. Others ran out behind me and I guess with the commotion the driver stopped. He calmly asked if he had hit the child. There was no contact, but I truly believe the boy would have been run over. It was that close. Maybe we need to reevaluate throwing candy. Other than that incident another great parade.

    As much as we would like to continue the tradition of throwing candy which the participants and viewers of the parade have always enjoyed, we cannot continue taking the risk of an injury or a fatally happening at our parade. We are planning on having the Rotary Club and others give out candy at the beginning of the parade about ten minutes before the parade begins in lieu of the fireworks display. We hope you understand why this decision was made and will still want to be a part of our awesome parade. We just wanted everyone to clearly understand why this decision was made and not be disappointed if you signed up and later found out that the throwing and giving out candy or promotional items other than paper coupons would not be allowed.