By JIM GENARO

A possible name change, recycling floats, and holding an after-party were among the suggestions citizens offered at a public meeting last Thursday about Ashevilleís annual Holiday Parade.

About 20 people attended the brainstorming session at Stephens-Lee Recreation Center in downtown Asheville.

The forum was sponsored by the city and by the Asheville Merchants Corporation, which has traditionally organized the event.

However, the cityís Parks and Recreation Department plans to take over the parade, starting in 2008.
That decision came after a meeting between AMC President Tom Hallmark and former Parks and Recreation Director Irby Brinson.

At that time, Brinson said that he felt the department was ready to take over management of the event.
This comment prompted Hallmark to submit a formal request asking the city to do so, but with temporary financial backing from the AMC ìto give them a four-year transition period,î Hallmark said.

To that end, organizers of the forum asked participants to list what things they like about the parade, what they would like to see changed, and what suggestions they had regarding the transition.

Resident Brad Jones asked when the AMC had changed the name of the parade from the ìChristmas Paradeî to the ìHoliday Parade.î

Hallmark said it was around 1999, but noted that the event originally was not meant to be a celebration of Christmas, but ìabout getting people downtown to shop.î

However, Jones argued that the name ìHoliday Paradeî muddles the intention of the event ó to celebrate Christmas.

ìIt has not been, for 60 years, a ëholiday parade,íî Jones said. ìYou can take the stripes off that zebra and you can put a saddle on it ... but if it was born a zebra 60 years ago, itís still a zebra.î

The participants then broke up into smaller groups to come up with suggestions and opinions. Hallmark noted that that the ideas that were gathered would be presented to Asheville City Council as a set of reccomendations for when it takes over the parade next year.

One woman who asked to remain anonymous, said that the event provides a ìgreat opportunity to reach people.î

Furthermoe, she added, ìitís not the usually downtown crowdî that attends it. ìItís a community expression.î
ìIím not sure thatís a positive,î participant Vicki Gaddy countered.

Sara Widenhouse, the paradeís coordinator, said the length of the parade and that she likes the time of year it is held ó mid-November, so it can be broadcast on television on Thanksgiving.

Jones said that if the city cannot legally hold an official Christmas parade, then the event should be split into two parades ó one for Christmas and one for ìwhatever ... short of nakedness.î

Jones acknowledged that the city might encounter problems sponsoring the Christmas parade.

However, participant Ben Scales noted that ìanyone can get the streetî and hold a religious event by getting a permit.

Alexis Gault, a member of the Parade Committee urged better recyling, including reusing the homemade floats.

ìA lot of that stuff is ó you use it once and itís trashed,î Gault said. By encouraging participants to reuse floats from year to year, the city could promote cost-efficiency and recycling, she said.

Adam Pittman said the parade should feature more collaborative floats and that it should culminate in some sort of after-party or event.

ìA musical extravaganza,î Michael Sule of Asheville on Bikes suggested.

Widenhouse also expressed concern about the possible influence of adding business sponsors.

ìIf thereís more sponsors, it might be more advertising and less entertaining,î she said.

Organizers say they hope to break even in 2008, with a budget of roughly $35,000. That includes a $20,000 contribution from the AMA. By 2012, the city hopes to be making a profit, even though the merchantsí group will ceasing contributing to the event that year.