Community reacts to cancellation of Veterans Day parade

COLORADO SPRINGS — Local business owner Athan Loukakis shares his reaction to the news.

“I think it’s a shame. For a community that has five military bases, a lot of retired military and a lot of active military, of course, because of the bases, it’s a shame not to have a parade. We we owe it to them,” he said.

The parade has been an important part of our community for decades. But for now, this is not happening.

Parade Board Director Greg Roes was involved in the decision to cancel the parade. He said it all came down to the numbers.

“We would usually have around 100 groups, and last year, 87. So unfortunately, with only 51 groups participating, it’s just not enough to make the whole effort worthwhile,” he said. he declared.

He tells me it costs about $55,000 to put on the parade. Sponsorships usually cover this amount because parade participants do not pay a fee.

The board says the number of sponsors has declined since the pandemic.

“We have less money to support the parade and unfortunately a lot of those costs are fixed. The number of police hours we pay for doesn’t change whether we have 10 groups in the parade or 100 groups , and it’s the same with our Porta Potties and barricades.

For more information on how to sponsor the parade or get involved, click here.

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