Wednesday, November 11, 2009

And here we are again

We see the Trenton Department of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources is again seeking groups interested in participating in that annual display of despair and despondency, the Thanksgiving Parade.

Scheduled for Saturday, November 21 the truncated parade route will run up State Street to Warren, around the Battle Monument and down Broad back to State and on to City Hall. Interesting, since East State Street from Broad to Montgomery is currently torn up for a much needed resurfacing job (at the loss of our classic red brick pavement).

More interesting is that for the second year in a row, with the city budget nowhere in sight, Mr. Palmer has declared that it's OK to spend money that we the taxpayers don't have on this feeble vestige of parades past. We wrote about this last year in an entry titled "Oh, Deer!" and nothing has changed.

The city is still broke. The city is likely to remain broke for awhile.

So why do we continue to waste money on things like Thanksgiving parades?

It is time for the administration to pull back and focus on the important things in this city (economic development and public safety are but two that come readily to mind) and stop wasting money and effort on this parade.

Thankfully, the Jazz Festival was cancelled this year...at least as far as city involvement was concerned. The festival formerly known as Heritage Days became Heritage Day this year. OK, a compromise but a move in the right direction.

But the city is still going to try to put on a Thanksgiving Parade in the face of an economic downtown. It makes no sense.

Mr. Palmer, give Sam Frisby and his staff a break and tell them to call off the parade. There is no good reason under the sun for the city to expend time and manpower and money on this event. Spare the police and public works departments the overtime. Save the fuel and cut the emissions from the dozens of idling vehicles used in and around the parade route.

Until such a time as an outside group wants to stage a well-financed, organized and executed event (as with the St. Patrick's Parade), or until the city has money to burn, put this turkey of a parade to rest.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hear the biggest float this year will be Doug's giant inflated ego, bobbing above the ruins of Trenton.

Mistër Cleän said...

But there will be drill teams and tricked-out cars! HATER!!!

Christine Ott said...

Miss Karen and I inadvertently wandered into the Turkey Day parade last year (or the year before?), and we were the only spectators near W. State & Warren, except for some municipally-looking guy with a camera. So, I don't count him in the onlooker-tally. I felt bad for the people marching. Maybe this year more people will watch?

Old Mill Hill said...

Crowds attending the parade have been ridiculously small for the past several years. There is nothing to see. Why should they turn out? And why should the city continue to put this on?