The Escanaba Christmas Parade, which was scheduled to take place on Friday, December 4, 2020, will not be held this year out of an abundance of caution related to the pandemic.
Tanya Ettenhofer, parade organizer said the decision to cancel this year’s parade was difficult but represents the right call. E
ttenhofer stated “We certainly had hoped we could continue the tradition of a Holiday Parade. We continued to monitor the ever-evolving situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and in consulting with state agencies, council members, and our DDA, it was decided that in the best interest of the citizens of our community the parade would not occur.”
There were many creative options investigated. The closure of Ludington Street had been approved by the Escanaba City Council, but with hopes for a modified format. Alternatives like a stationary parade with community members driving by parked floats in Ludington Park or on Ludington Street were suggestions offered by Mayor Pro-Tem Peggy O’Connell and Council Member Ralph Blasier, but the likelihood of accidents with distractions was too great.
Ettenhofer is currently investigating posting past videos from parades on channel 151 or on YouTube with a link on escanaba.org and Facebook.
Ettenhofer and the City of Escanaba also encourage people to decorate their homes and businesses windows or invite non profits to do so and share the photos on the Escanaba Downtown Facebook page.
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