City officials and the Updowntowners, who planned the 23rd annual Star City Parade, decided early Saturday to cancel the parade, citing safety concerns due to icy streets and sidewalks.
LISA MUNGER / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, November 30, 2007 6:00 pm
Organizers of the Star City Holiday Parade weren’t sure Saturday whether they could reschedule the event, but if they do, Santa said he’s in.
“I told my daughter last night we might not be able to have the parade,” said parade Executive Director Deb Johnson, who has a 9-year-old daughter. “The disbelief and sadness on her face was enough for me to fight for the parade.”
City officials and the Updowntowners, who planned the 23rd annual Star City Parade, decided early Saturday morning to cancel the parade, citing safety concerns due to icy streets and sidewalks.
The storm marked the beginning of serious winter weather for the year, causing would-be paradegoers and others to reconsider their day’s plans.
Ray Lowther, supervisor of music for Lincoln Public Schools, made a district-wide decision Friday to pull high school marching bands out of the parade.
“Our first concern is for the safety of students,” he said. “Students would have to travel to schools in the morning before a lot could be done to the roads.”
Lowther said school officials were particularly sensitive to road safety following the Tuesday night death of North Star High school student Scott Down in a rollover accident.
He said band directors began receiving calls Friday from worried parents who said they planned to keep their kids at home even if the parade was on.
“Snow is one thing,” Lowther said. “Ice is insurmountable.”
And it was icy.
Lincoln Police Sgt. John Walsh said there were 22 weather-related accidents Saturday, and Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to at least five falls due to ice.
Numerous variables will be considered in deciding whether to reschedule the parade, Johnson said. More than 4,000 people are involved in running it — from volunteers to professionals flown in to walk the big balloons.
Lincoln High School Assistant Band Director Dan Ehly said school calendars are packed this time of year, so some students will have conflicts whenever the parade is held.
For example, the SAT exam, regional one-act play competition and basketball games were scheduled for Saturday, snagging a number of band members. Next weekend, the ACT exam will pose the same problem, Ehly said.
He said he was disappointed some Lincoln High students will miss the chance to march in preparation for the band’s planned trip to the London Parade over the winter break.
“We can’t practice corners because we march around an oval track,” he said. “We can’t march on city streets without a parade permit and police escort.”
Even though Johnson said she talked to Santa, who assured her he can make room in his busy schedule if the parade is held next weekend, she still has to contact all of the other parade entries to see if they can participate in a rescheduled parade.
“We’re looking at condensing a whole year’s worth of work into a week,” said Johnson, who is also executive director of the Updowntowners, a nonprofit group that holds the parade and the annual Celebrate Lincoln festival.
Johnson credited Mayor Chris Beutler and his staff for “an absolute can-do attitude” in helping her with the potential of rescheduling the parade. Other members of the community also volunteered to make the parade happen.
“The chair of the parade called me at 11 a.m. today,” Johnson said Saturday. “She said, ‘I don’t want you to be alone at this moment! Our parade was supposed to be stepping off right now!’”
Johnson said she will announce on Monday whether the parade will be rescheduled.
Reach Lisa Munger at 473-2646 or lmunger@journalstar.com.