KALAMAZOO, MI -- Downtown Kalamazoo was alive with laughter and cheer during the 60th annual Maple Hill Holiday Parade on Saturday, Nov. 19 despite an ongoing winter storm.
The parade was noticeably smaller as the low temperatures and high winds prevented bands and balloons from participating. Participants traveled on West Lovell Street, South Park Street, Michigan Avenue and South Pitcher Street for the route starting at 11 a.m.
A continuation of the festivities are planned downtown from 12 p.m. until 7 p.m. including live performances which are new this year.
The previous onslaught of snow didn’t deter Mary Wiersma from attending with her grandchildren and family. Wiersma’s grandchildren were playing in a mountain of plowed snow before the parade began.
“Every year I’ve been bringing my kids, this is second generation here,” Wiersma said
Abby Vandenberg, Maple Hill Holiday Parade secretary, said they still hosted the parade because an anticipated lull in the storm provided enough time to plow the roads and shovel the sidewalks.
“It was cold but the snow held off... the people who showed up definitely got a lot of candy,” Vandenberg said.
Wiersma added her grandchildren were looking forward to the balloons and bands in particular. The helium balloons returned to the route last year for the first time in over a decade. New balloons were originally planned to fly this year but were cancelled the night before the parade, Vandenberg said.
Vandenberg said if they decided to cancel the parade there was not an option to reschedule it due to the coordination required to block off streets for the parade route. She estimated that over half of organizations who signed up to participate in the parade attended. Nearly 100 organizations entered to participate in the parade this year.
“We’ve had cold parades, were Michiganders, we’re strong,” Vandenberg said.
Attendees still were able to see fire engines and local businesses with vehicles decked out in Christmas-themed decor. The Kalamazoo Husky Club brought over a dozen huskies in holiday sweaters to walk the route. Several participants dolled out candy in full grinch costumes, much to the dismay of some young children in attendance afraid of the Christmas character.
Katie and Kristy Mallete have made attending the parade a tradition with their two daughters for the last four years. Katie Mallete feared the storm would cancel the festivities.
“I reached out to Maple Hill a couple times to make sure it wasn’t canceled,” Katie Mallete said. It’s just good to see people out and about and even though it’s cold it gives our kids something to do.”
Vandenberg said her favorite part of the parade is connections made.
“The parade obviously wouldn’t go on without spectators so it’s great to see the community come out, they donated a lot for Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes. We’re really grateful for everyone that came out and participated.”
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