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By Ivan Sanders
Star Correspondent

The Elizabethton City Council met in a workshop on Monday, Oct. 28, to discuss alternate plans for holding the 2024 Christmas Parade, the primary fundraiser for Main Street Elizabethton. This event enables the organization to sponsor several events throughout the year in the downtown area.

The parade is scheduled for Dec. 14 at 6 p.m.

The need for an alternate route was prompted by damage to the Broad Street Bridge from flooding caused by remnants of Hurricane Helene, which brought devastation to the county. City of Elizabethton staff, along with Main Street Director Courtney Bean, presented the alternate route options after holding meetings with several city departments and Bean.

The change aims to ensure efficient traffic flow and pedestrian safety for parade attendees.

At the end of the workshop, the council decided to bring the suggested alternate route to the November 2024 City Council meeting for final approval.

Under the proposed plan, the parade would stage at Elizabethton High School and the Nave Center, proceed up Bemberg Road to West G Street, and turn left. The parade would end at South Roan Street, where walking participants would continue straight on West G Street toward First Baptist Church to disband, while floats would turn left on South Roan Street to disband.

Bean announced there will be a maximum of 100 entries for the parade to reduce the duration from the 2023 parade, which lasted nearly two hours. Currently, there are 40 entries, so anyone interested in participating should submit their registration as soon as possible.

The route will cover approximately 0.82 miles on West G Street and will require additional volunteers this year to cover a route with 36 intersections. The streets will remain open until 15 minutes before the start of the parade.

“The downtown parade is an important part of the community, and I appreciate our staff, along with Courtney, working to come up with an alternate plan for this year’s parade,” said City Manager Daniel Estes.

Bean expressed hope that the parade can return to the downtown district soon and emphasized that this route is only a temporary solution.