The future of Asheville’s annual Holiday Parade is in dispute, as the group that has been running it for 61 years withdrew a request last month for the city to take it over, following a lukewarm reception by City Council.

The Asheville Merchants Corporation had asked the city to take over the parade starting in 2008 at council’s Nov. 27 meeting. Under the proposed takeover, the AMC would contribute $80,000 over four years to ease the transition.

However, some council members voiced concerns about offensive floats and other parade entries, as well as possible fears of stepping into a charged political debate over the parade’s name.

Furthermore, Melissa Porter, the city’s festival coordinator, noted that the transition would cost the city about $35,000.

Tom Hallmark, president of the AMC, said that the group has withdrawn the request and currently is negotiating with a private organization. An announcement about the agreement is expected some time this month.

At the Nov. 27 council meeting, Mayor Terry Bellamy said the city should not step into the debate over whether to call the parade a “holiday” parade or a “Christmas” parade.

However, Councilwoman Robin Cape argued that the city should take it over. She later backed down after Councilman Brownie Newman suggested that the AMC try to find a private entity to take it over first and then come back to council if unsuccessful.

Cape also clashed with Councilman Carl Mumpower over the AMC’s decision to change the parade’s name in the mid-1990s.

Mumpower called the choice to drop the word “Christmas” a “corruption” of an ancient religion and an abandonment of tradition.

However, Cape noted that Christians are not the only people who celebrate holidays around the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Councilman Jan Davis said that the city would have to get involved in regulating offensive entries if it took the parade, and said that some of the entries this year involved seminudity and profanity.

Hallmark responded that the AMC had not heard any complaints about the parade and that the name change reflected the fact that there are other holidays besides Christmas being observed around that time.