I am writing today to explain why I was so horribly disappointed by the Santa parade recently.
My family and about five other families and arrived on the parade route at about 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 22 to ensure we got good seating. We were sitting across the street from the biggest tree next to City Hall Park. Between all of the families that were there together, there were several children who were all sitting down on the curb, as well as all but two adults. As the crowd grew, we reminded a few people who got in front of the kids that we were told to stay on the sidewalk and to please move. For the most part people were polite and moved, that is until about five to 10 minutes before the parade started.
There were about five rows of people behind us who all of the sudden shoved their way in front of us. As we were sitting there, we were saying to the people getting in front of us, “Excuse me we were here first, you are supposed to be on the sidewalk.” A few of the adults looked back at us and continued on shoving to the front. After this, a few of us who were able to (two of the women were using canes to walk) took a few of the kids up front so that they could see. After we did that, the people who we had gotten in front of started to complain that we had just cut off her three-year-old and we needed to show respect. There were a few verbal altercations between a few of us even though when we got up front my son sat in a puddle so as not to be in the way of the people who had so rudely shoved their way in front of him.
As the parade was about to start, two people in safety vests walked down the street and told people to back up, my son and I got up from the puddle we were in and moved to the back of the crowd like we were asked, Nobody else moved back. It was the most horrible experience I have ever had attending an event in Red Deer. I take my kids to all of the parades and have never had an issue.
After the parade was over and everyone finally decided to get off the street — it was dangerous. The crowd was so thick that my six-year-old son who was holding my hand was swept away from me three times. We decided that it was safest to just stay in one spot until the crowd cleared.
At school the next day for my son’s show and tell, he took the light stick he bought from the parade, and when asked what he thought about the parade, he said it was scary and he never wants to go again.
Something needs to be done.
I am sorry if I have not sent this to the right place but I am unsure of who to contact to fix this issue for future events. Like I said previously, I have never had an issue before and hope to continue enjoying events throughout the city but that night was awful and will definitely make me think twice before going again.
Jodi McCutcheon
Red Deer