As a radio guy I have been in my share of parades. When I was first starting out in the business 20+ years ago I hated parades. I rode in many in Scottsbluff Nebraska, and when I moved to La Crosse my boss told me of this parade that was watched by 200,000 people. What? 200,000 people come to watch a parade that is crazy. I didn’t believe it, the end of September came and so did my very first Oktoberfest parade, 19 years ago I was overwhelmed and fascinated by this super long, display of endless local businesses and service organizations marching to the beat of a different drummer, literally, dozens of bands, vehicles and marchers in a seemingly endless parade. Yesterday we heard that Oktoberfest USA would cancel the Mapleleaf Parade if the city requires the group to pay $18,000 in new parade fees. These fees are part of a revenue-generating system adopted by the city to help balance its budget. I am guessing that the city will fold and allow the parade to go on with out the payment of 18 thousand dollars. How many business would be hurt if the parade went away? All the hotels would, the bars would, the restaurants in town would, don’t forget about the businesses that sell party supplies, souvenir sellers, the list goes on. If the city wants to impose some new fees why wait until the last second to throw it on the organization, it could be something proposed for the next year, but this year…leave it alone.
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