With the kick off to Colonial Days less than a week away, the City is reminding residents to stay safe during the parade.
“It’s an exciting time, just be aware the people driving the floats don’t have the visibility that people think they might have,” says Doug Rodwell, the General Manager of Public Safety.
He adds, “when you’re on your way to the parade, just make sure you’re using the crosswalks when crossing. Keep an eye on young children, making sure they’re not running out into the area of the floats, make sure that your animals are on leash and taken care of.”
The parade route recently changed, Rodwell says this was due to construction schedules.
“On 46 Street, previously we had some scheduled work that isn’t going ahead during that time frame. So we felt from a public safety perspective, for better viewing and to keep Highway 16 open it was a lot better to bring the parade up 46 street.”
Another piece of advice: arrive early.
“From my past experience with the parade, arrive earlier and stake out your claim. There’s a lot going on and it’s a great time to visit with people all over the community and sit down and just enjoy each others company.”
Rodwell says you can expect a fun time at this years parade.
“Everybody loves a parade, everybody loves the opportunity to look at floats and clowns and firetrucks and police cars and see what our local businesses offer in their floats. It’s just a great fun time.”
The parade starts at 10 am next Wednesday.