Review editorial
March 2, 2009
By Staff
Cities have parades
There are few things as iconic a part of small-town America as the homecoming parade down Main Street. That is why we are troubled that city officials are considering forbidding Skyline High School’s annual parade on 228th Avenue – Sammamish’s main street.The parade builds community, something that city government has been trying to do since Sammamish’s inception 10 years ago. It gives student groups other than the football team a chance to celebrate and be recognized by the community.
The floats give each grade a chance to gel and provide an outlet for teenage creativity. Above all, it’s fun, family-friendly entertainment.
We’re not even sure why, exactly, the city would want to stop it. There have been about a dozen complaints. Weigh that against the hundreds of citizens who march in the parade (granted, few can vote, but they are citizens), and the hundreds, if not thousands, more who enjoy watching it. It seems clear which side will be in the majority.
Officials fear that Sammamish’s other high schools may also want to have a similar parade. Would that be so terrible? Granted, if all three were to propose the same day and time, things could get hairy, but that has not happened.
Let each school apply and judge each application on its own merit. Do not hold Skyline hostage to the possibility that someone else may – has not, but may – want to do something similar.
The real reason, of course, is traffic. It makes a small stretch of road a pain during rush hour. Is Sammamish really that car-centric? Must everything else be sacrificed on the altar of maximizing the flow of vehicles?
The parade covers less than a mile. It lasts for two hours. Cars continue to move in both directions as traffic is re-routed, they just move a little slower. The school, the city, and even this newspaper give everyone plenty of notice so they can take alternate routes on that one afternoon a year.
Cities around the country and around the world manage to have parades. Marches and demonstrations routinely close streets and re-route buses in Seattle. New York City shuts down stretches of much more traveled roads for its Thanksgiving parade. Times Square is closed to cars every New Year’s Eve.
Two hours of minor hassle in Sammamish is not too much to ask.
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