To mayor’s surprise, Ridgeland’s annual Christmas parade canceled hours before start time
Hours before the annual Ridgeland Christmas parade was set to roll down Main Street on Thursday, it was canceled.
The news shocked residents, including the town’s mayor.
Chaos ensued, as expected, especially on social media.
An 11 a.m. Facebook post on the Town of Ridgeland’s page said the parade, which was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., was no longer happening.
“Due to numerous parade entrant cancellations, as well as public safety concerns, the Town’s Christmas Parade for this evening has unfortunately been cancelled,” the post said. “We sincerely regret having to do this, and hope that we can have a Christmas Parade next year.”
Ridgeland Mayor Joey Malphrus was among the confused Facebook commenters.
“This Announcement certainly comes as a surprise to me,” Malphrus wrote on the cancellation post.
“No one voted to cancel the parade, when we discussed it at last night’s Council Mtg. I read on here, it was allegedly, cancelled. WTH??? Thus, I called a Special Mtg. to find out what is going on!!!” he wrote.
The special meeting at 1 p.m. was not streamed on Facebook, like other public meetings have been, or posted to the town’s website as of Thursday afternoon.
Contacted after the meeting, Malphrus said although the council discussed the parade at Wednesday night’s Town Council meeting, members took no vote to cancel the parade, but “sometime thereafter, the decision was made at the staff level to cancel the parade.”
Malphrus said he and councilmembers Josephine Boyles and Tommy Rhodes attended Thursday’s special meeting, and that the two other councilmembers “expressed concurrence with the staff” and “a number of high-level staff members all expressed agreement that the parade be canceled.”
Malphrus declined further comment, saying a statement from Town Council would need to be made through the town administrator.
A call and email to Town Administrator Dennis Averkin were not immediately returned Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Ridgeland community members tried to revive the holiday cheer.
The Blue Heron Nature Center, which is home to the Holiday Festival of Music & Lights nightly through Christmas Eve, posted a photo of the Charleston Carolers urging folks to still go to downtown Ridgeland to listen to the singers, enjoy hot chocolate and cookies from Eats & Sweets, and dine at other local restaurants on Main Street.
Brendlen’s Lowcountry Christmas Light Display also posted on Facebook, saying the cancellation was a disappointment but the public was invited to drive through Brendlen’s light display Thursday, when it would have candy for the kids.
Ridgeland had been one of the few Lowcountry municipalities still hosting a traditional Christmas parade amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neighboring Hardeeville held a socially distanced Christmas tree lighting earlier this week, but had no plans for a parade. Its annual Christmas parade was first canceled last year due to an ongoing political dispute between Hardeeville City Council and the Greater Hardeeville Chamber of Commerce.
In Beaufort County, the City of Beaufort canceled its street parade and boat parade, while Bluffton has planned a “reverse” parade for Saturday.
