TYLER, Texas — Rose City Christmas Parade organizers said Tuesday scheduling conflicts among parade participants led to the decision to have to completely cancel the parade for the first time in its decades-long history.
On Monday, the Rotary Clubs of Tyler announced that the Tyler parade would be canceled because of forecasted inclement weather Thursday night. Many community members asked why it wouldn't be possible to move to another date where severe weather wasn't expected.
Mary Burch, who sits on the board and executive committee over the parade, said that some of the key groups in the parade would not be able to do the following Friday or Dec. 14.
"We attempted to try that when we reached out to these groups yesterday (Monday), but it just wasn't going to work. So we were devastated yesterday," Burch said.
Some of those key groups included the Clydesdale horses, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and other performing groups.
David L. Jones, fundraising coordinator of the parade, said that if they were to stick with the original date of Nov. 30, the predicted storms could have destroyed a lot of the floats.
"So many of our float groups were made out of cardboard, crate paper and hay. It's just not conducive to rain," Jones said.
Another concern that was raised was the status of those who planned to pull floats in the parade.
The Rotary Club of Tyler originally posted that any interested person in participating would have to pay a registration fee. Jones said that those who have paid would be presented with the option of a refund for the year or they can save their spot for next year without having to pay an additional fee.
"We're in the process of sending all that out. We had a huge group. We had 120 entries in the parade and so getting the information out - it doesn't happen immediately, but it's happening today," Jones said.
Regarding planning for next year, Burch said that they plan to ensure a solid backup date for all parties so that they won't have to cancel in case of weather.
"That's already on the table. Absolutely," Burch said.
The Tyler tree lighting ceremony for this year is still waiting to be rescheduled for a later date. Next year's Rose City Christmas Parade is set to take place on Dec. 5, 2024.