Faribault Heritage Days Committee Wants to Reschedule Parade

The Faribault Heritage Days Committee issued a statement today saying they would like to rescheduled last Saturday's washed out Grand Parade for August 9, 2019 at 6:15 p.m.  That's the same weekend as the Paradise Center for the Arts Blue Collar BBQ and Arts Festival in downtown Faribault.

Here is the statement:

"Last Saturday the Grand Parade was unfortunately cancelled due to safety concerns with the weather.  The decision was made concerning the safety of the participants and spectators and the duration of parade set-up and take down, with input from our local police department.  We discussed both the current weather and the anticipated weather moving forward.  For those participating in the parade, the time commitment is about 3-4 hours, and the volunteers will spend about 5-6 hours on site the day of the parade.  This was an incredibly difficult decision to make and considering the amount of time put into preparing for the parade, and the resources that were already expended, one we did not take lightly."

The Heritage Days statement goes on to say:

"We are currently looking at hosting the Grand Parade on August 9th at 6:15 p.m.  We are currently awaiting formal council approval and once we have that we will begin working with all the (previous parade) participants to find out who can participate at this later date.  The Grand Parade has always been a very important part of the Heritage Days Celebration and highlights many of the great businesses and non-profits that the community is fortunate to have.  The parade would still use the modified route, and while there are some hurdles to overcome the board is confident that we can host a successful event.  We will be releasing information as it becomes available and look forward to seeing everyone on August 9th."

I spoke with Heritage Days Committee Chair Travis McColley and asked why a public statement was made before approval from the Faribault City Council.  McColley said there have been many questions presented to the committee from the public about the possibility of rescheduling because in part the community Memorial Day Parade was also washed out.

The Committee wants to gauge public interest to see if they can get enough volunteers to help with the event.  If there are not enough volunteers then it can't be rescheduled.

Give your thoughts to the committee on the Heritage Days 2019 website.