Parade to close roads tomorrow at noon

BY LISA HOBBS

Prepare for two sights during tomorrow’s Christmas parade ‘ a blocked-off downtown McMinnville, and Christmas elves walking the streets.

To make a safe parade for participants and spectators, McMinnville Police Department will begin blocking off access to downtown at noon. The parade begins at 2:30 p.m.

Law enforcement officials want motorists to be aware of the downtown road closures and the length of time the roads will be closed.

The downtown portion of Main, Colville and Spring streets will be blocked off at noon. As the time for the parade approaches, and during the parade, other streets coming into downtown will be shut down as well.

‘With the parade going against the normal flow of traffic, we want to get control of parking for safety reasons,’ said McMinnville Police Major Bryan Denton. ‘We’ve spent countless hours working on this. We’ve checked the route and we are even going to walk it today.’

The decision to block off downtown was made for two reasons:

‘ Children have the tendency to dart from behind parked cars. With no cars along the streets, children will be more visible.

‘ The parade route is going against the normal flow of traffic. When the parade passes people, the natural tendency is to leave. Leaving at that point, could cause a traffic problem.

‘We will be putting fliers around the area and signs that will get the word out,’ said Denton. ‘We want everyone to have a safe parade. Once the parade is over, the barriers will be taken down.’

Spectators are encouraged to park in city parking lots behind the Chamber of Commerce, Hoover and Son Insurance and on Spring Street down from Warren County Furniture. Parking will also be available at city hall.

While parking is restricted, elves will be welcoming people with candy. Thanks to city administrator David Rutherford, there is expected to be around six of Santa’s helpers around the square handing out 2,000 candy canes.

Youth Leadership McMinnville members have volunteered to wear the costumes and hand out the candy during the parade. According to McMinnville-Warren County Chamber of Commerce president Alicea Weddington, there will be half a dozen or so adorable elves handing out goodies to good little boys and girls.