Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
CHRISTMAS PARADES take a different direction in pandemic.
Christmas floats stay put, attendees drive by festivities
Across Arkansas, Christmas parades have come to a standstill.
This year, because of the covid-19 pandemic, many cities considered canceling their Christmas parades.
But the Arkansas Department of Health has a prescription for pandemic parading.
“Instead of a traditional parade, consider hosting a ‘reverse parade’ where the parade floats are stationary and attendees enjoy the festivities by driving through,” the Health Department said in its Nov. 10 “holiday guidance.”
So, many Arkansas towns have decided to put things into reverse this year.
“We’re going to try it,” said Mayor Charles Snapp of Walnut Ridge. “We’re fortunate. Santa is going to make time for it even in the covid crisis.”
Snapp said motorists will drive through a lighting display along the Stewart Park loop, then past the parked parade floats. The “reverse parade” will take place Tuesday night.
The Junior Auxiliary normally has a Polar Express Christmas train ride for kids through Stewart Park, but it is canceled this year because of covid, said the mayor. Instead, kids can ride in something a little less polar — a warm car. “It’s going to be exciting, and it’s going to be at least somewhat normal,” Snapp said. “At least people will get to get out and enjoy the holiday spirit.”
Jonesboro held its “reverse” Christmas parade Thursday night. This year, it was combined as part of the Christmas at the Park lighting attraction, which began last year at Joe Mack Campbell Park.
Adam Sartin, a parade organizer, said 1,470 vehicles drove through the park and past seven stationary parade floats, down from about 30 in previous years. He said there was a bit of a wait to get in.
“We were double stacking the vehicles down Harry Drive all the way to Dollar General,” he said.
At the end of the parade, children got to visit with Santa, but only from a distance of more than 6 feet.
“We sat in line for 40 minutes just to get in, but the lights and seeing those smiling faces on the floats wishing everyone Merry Christmas as we drove by was well worth the wait,” Christie Lovins Leasure wrote on Christmas at the Park’s Facebook page. “Waiting in line for Santa was cold, but the look on my child’s face when she got to see and talk to Santa was priceless.”
Eureka Springs held a “reverse parade” Friday night.
Devin Henderson, a spokesman for the Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, said some businesses had their floats parked in nearby lots. Other spots of interest along the parade route were businesses bedecked with Christmas lights.
“I think it’s about the safest thing you can do right now,” Henderson said. “It was a tough call whether to do it or not in the end.”
Siloam Springs’ “reverse” Christmas parade was last night.
Instead of going throughout town, the parade will be on the campus of John Brown University, said Holland Hayden, a spokeswoman for the city and past president of the Heritage League of Siloam Springs, which sponsors the parade.
“We wanted to bring some tradition into 2020,” Hayden said. “We just had to reimagine those traditions. I feel like people are craving a sense of normality, and that was the best we could do to mimic that normalcy.”
Hayden said it’s a drivethrough parade, but people can walk it as long as family groups maintain the appropriate physical distance of 6 feet.
Siloam Springs’ parade is scaled down from previous years, in which there were more than 100 entries.
Trace Henley, presidentelect for Heritage League of Siloam Springs, said they’ve had about 40 entries this year. That includes floats, cars and lighting displays that will be set up along the route.
Prairie Grove, Nashville and Jasper have “reverse” Christmas parades slated for Saturday.
“I hope this parade is a little bit of warmth and Christmas cheer for the city because we need it,” said Jasper Mayor Jan Larson.
She said employees of the Newton County Nursing Home will serve as grandmasters of the parade. The nursing home was hit hard by the pandemic.
“They have had such a rough time,” Larson said.
“Reverse parades” are being held across the country this holiday season.
“Yule do the driving,” read a headline in the Stillwater News Press of Oklahoma over a story about that city’s “reverse parade.”
Danyelle McNeill, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Health Department, said parade sponsors don’t have to submit a covid-19 plan for large outdoor venues if they don’t expect a crowd of more than 100 people to be gathered in one spot.
Regarding drive-through parades, she said, “We wouldn’t consider the attendees as ‘gathering’ since the spectators are confined to their vehicles, so they wouldn’t necessarily require a plan.”
Hayden said she submitted a plan with the state just to be on the safe side.
In its “holiday guidance,” the Health Department mentioned social distancing from Santa Claus, who will be attending many parades in Arkansas this month.
Traditionally, kids sit in Santa’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. But not this year. “’ Pictures with Santa’ events should be modified to maintain 6-feet physical distancing between attendees waiting in line, as well as between the attendees and Santa,” according to the Health Department.
Prairie Grove addressed Santa social distancing in its “reverse parade” plan submitted to the Health Department. This year’s parade is being held on the Prairie Grove school campus instead of downtown.
“A large mailbox marked North Pole will be located at the end of the parade and manned by Santa and Mrs. Claus,” according to a plan submitted by Larry Oelrich, Prairie Grove’s public works director.
“Children will be allowed to insert letters in the mailbox but will not be allowed to engage personally with Mr. and Mrs. Claus outside of waves and wishes of Merry Christmas. Any reindeer who choose to participate will be subject to the same rules as all other participants and will be under the strict control of the Clauses.”
Texarkana canceled its Christmas parade this year after deciding that even a “reverse parade” was too risky.
Ina McDowell, executive director of Main Street Texarkana, said there would have been no way to prevent crowds from gathering on the sidewalks along Broad Street.
Normally, the Texarkana parade is held on State Line Avenue, but because of construction there, the planned parade was moved to Broad Street. McDowell said the parade normally attracts 10,000 to 15,000 people, and the route this year would have been shorter — only one mile.
McDowell said the decision was made Nov. 30, a week before the scheduled parade. She said the area’s coronavirus cases have been increasing, and the impact of Thanksgiving is still unknown.
“We just saw that this could still be a problem with crowds gathering,” she said.
Meanwhile, the traditional Christmas parade took place in Springdale on Nov. 28. It’s sponsored every year by the Rodeo of the Ozarks.
Rick Culver, executive director of the rodeo and Parsons Stadium, said they had 35 parade entries this year, down from 55 last year. Still, he was surprised by this year’s turnout.
“We didn’t know what to expect this year, but it went well,” he said.
Besides floats, some of those entries were cars with dignitaries aboard.
About 30 people rode on horseback.
“It went great from everything I saw,” said Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse. “It was a shorter parade. It was spread out pretty well. I think it was done safely. We were glad the rodeo board decided to go ahead and have it.”