With many special events canceled or put on hold this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the undeterred organizers of Dodge City’s annual Christmas Parade of Lights were determined to come up with a safe solution to ensure the tradition but with a twist. “The parade is a cherished holiday tradition enjoyed by hundreds of residents and out-of-town guests and we couldn’t let 2020 end without having something available for our community to enjoy,” said Jerri Whitley, with Victory Electric. “But we knew having that many people gathered along a parade route would make the task of keeping citizens safe and enforcing spectators to socially distance next to impossible.” With support from community officials and effort to create a safe, fun environment for all, parade organizers redesigned the traditional parade into a “reverse” parade format. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on November 30, spectators will drive past stationary, socially spaced floats as they “Make Your Way Down Candy Cane Lane.” The new parade format allows for social distancing between parade entries and no direct contact with spectators.
Source: News – Butler County Times Gazette
