City's Holiday Parade would have been this weekend

It’s tough to take at this time of year, but had there been no coronavirus pandemic, many of us in Woodland would have been gathering downtown on Saturday for the Holiday Parade ( or Christmas Parade for those who don’t accept the religious beliefs of others). The parade is typically held the second Saturday in December, but in an announcement made weeks ago, parade cochairpersons Candy KlenhardBurgess and Josh Hilliard, announced it had been canceled.

Both Klenhard- Burgess and Hilliard reported they made the decision based on state and local health regulations.

I think it was a good decision, but it seems like the announcement was made a long time ago, given how quickly the pandemic has continued to surge across

Yolo County and California, and how fast health regulations have been upgraded due to the number of daily cases and deaths.

Bringing an estimated 20,000 people to downtown Woodland — where they would crowd together on Main Street — seems absolutely foolish right now.

Then again, it was only on Friday night that CNN was reporting as many as 54% of the nation’s population know of someone who has become ill or has died due to the coronavirus. Think of where we’ll be by the end of December? By the end of January? By the end of February?

I did a bit of quick research and found out that when KlenhardBurgess and Hilliard made their announcement, there were 3,395 reported cases and 62 deaths countywide. As of Sunday night, there were 5,492 cases and 84 deaths. A number of those who have died have been senior citizens living in health- care facilities or were at risk due to their ages or health conditions.

All of this is a sign of how much our community has changed over the past year due to the pandemic. There was no Yolo County Fair. There was no California Honey Festival. No Rotary Beer & Wine Fest or Octoberfests. And there have also been numerous craft fairs and fundraisers — such as the Food Bank Epicurean Esprit to name one — that have also been canceled.

I raise all of this not to bemoan how our lives have changed but to remind us of how much richer our lives are as a result of these community events. I sometimes feel we take for granted the activities occurring throughout Woodland and Yolo County. Once a vaccine is developed and we can start protecting ourselves, then we’ll probably see some of those traditional activities in the future.

I can’t wait for that time. It seems funny, but after attending the Yolo County Fair for about 30 years and having gotten a bit bored, I look forward to next August in high hopes of eating fair food and watching livestock auctions. I’ll certainly appreciate it more fully.

• • • Despite the lack ( or loss) of community gatherings, people can still share the experience of Christmas or the holidays. We saw that on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at the Woodland Christian School on Matmor Road, which held a Christmas drive- thru parade. The roads around the school were packed on all three nights, so much so that police were called out to help monitor and control traffic. Drivers were asked to be patient as they drove past parade floats during the evening. Some may have been frustrated, but keeping everyone in their cars was a good way to keep everyone safe.

Additionally, remember that there are a number of homes throughout town which have been decorated for the holiday. I spent some time out on the streets Sunday night and was impressed by those homes I visited. Many had interesting themes. Some featured a cacophony of multi- colored lights and inflatable displays ( much like my home if I can get the time to decorate it). But others had far simpler themes with nothing but golden- colored lights highlighting trees or bushes and even walkways.

I plan to continue my community travels over the coming weeks as we near Christmas. I’ll be safely isolated in my car while sharing the joy of the holidays with others.