The fate of the 23rd annual Star City Holiday Parade rests on whether some early risers take a tumble on downtown pavement Saturday morning.

At 5:30 a.m., Mayor Chris Beutler, parade organizers and others will check the conditions on O Street and make a final determination by 6 as to whether it's safe enough to hold a parade. Update: Weather halts parade plans

The National Weather Service on Friday first issued a winter storm watch for Lincoln, then changed that to an ice storm warning, beginning at 3 a.m. Saturday.

“Canceling the parade is the last resort,”  Diane Gonzolas, manager of Public Information Services for the city, said Friday.

But it's a possibility.

Deb Johnson, executive director of the parade, said she and the rest of Updowntowners Inc. were preparing Friday as if the parade was going to happen. She said she hadn't checked the weather all day — reporters updated her enough during frequent phone calls, she said.

Even if the balloons and floats take over O Street as planned, most marching bands scheduled to perform Saturday canceled Friday. Of the 16 scheduled, 12 dropped out.

The UNL band posted this statement on its Web site Friday: "The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the Lincoln area including a 100 percent chance of freezing rain for Saturday, Dec. 1.

"In light of this information, and in the best interests of the health and safety of our student musicians, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhusker Marching Band has elected to withdraw from the 2007 Star City Holiday Parade."

All Lincoln Public School bands pulled out as well, citing safety concerns.

The 43rd Army Band, Parkview Christian Marching Band, Deshler Marching Band and Beatrice Marching Band had not called Johnson to announce cancellations as of Friday night.

Deshler's band director, Deb Pohlmann, called Johnson and promised not only a band, but volunteers to hold the balloons or help in any other way possible. Because Deshler was the only band to march in the snow two years ago, Johnson said she believes those promises will come true.

Johnson said she received plenty of positive calls on Friday.

"We are getting a lot of support," she said. "We are getting lots of calls of people who want to volunteer."

Typically, she said, inclement weather thins out the available help. Perhaps because the weather poses such a serious threat, she said, people are offering their time to make sure the Star City Holiday Parade, which has never been canceled, stays that way.

Reach Cory Matteson at 473-2655 or cmatteson@journalstar.com.