July 8. When you’re planning major events, July is not too early to start thinking about Christmas.
Organizers of what would be Christmas in Davidson and the 38th annual North Meck Christmas Parade have begun discussions on whether or how these events could take place this year.
No decisions have been made, according to Amanda Preston, communications director for the Town of Davidson.
Christmas in Davidson is traditionally held the Thursday to Saturday after Thanksgiving, which would be Dec. 3-5 this year, with the North Mecklenburg Christmas Parade on the Saturday of Christmas in Davidson. Registration for parade participants normally starts in August.
Pandemic effect
This year, things will be different because of the new coronavirus pandemic, but what the events may look like isn’t clear yet.
“We anticipate that the events will not be able to proceed in the same fashion as they would normally, especially because the event planning process needs to begin now for each of these major undertakings,” Preston said in an email.
“We are anticipating a scaled-back version of Christmas in Davidson that will still be able to support local businesses, which is really how Christmas in Davidson began in the first place,” she wrote.
“We are also hoping to still be able to incorporate some local nonprofits and are looking into adding a virtual component, perhaps for performance,” Preston said.
Parade may also be up in the air
The North Mecklenburg Christmas Parade is also going to be complicated, Preston said in the email.
“Parades are certainly not currently permitted and we don’t feel it would be responsible to encourage gathering of the community while the pandemic is still a factor,” she wrote, “so our Parks and Recreation Department is looking at all possible options to be able to move forward safely, or offer another safe alternative for our region.”
Davidson also holds a traditional Halloween March along Main Street, usually several days before Oct. 31. Families would line up at Town Hall to parade along Main Street to receive treats from merchants and organizations.
Davidson had to cancel its 4th of July celebration as well as the Concerts on the Green series this year.
