Everyone Wants a Parade

In June, two major parades on consecutive weekends--the Flag Day Parade and the Hudson Pride Parade--prompted Alderman Nick Haddad (First Ward) to suggest, in the interest of Warren Street businesses negatively impacted by having the street shut down for most of the afternoon, that the City consider routing parades down another street. Columbia and Union streets were suggested as alternatives. The possibility was discussed in the Common Council Legal Committee, but it went nowhere. The mayor put the kibosh on such deliberation by issuing a press release declaring that parades will continue to be routed on Warren Street.

On Monday night, at the Common Council Police Committee meeting, Chief Ed Moore raised another issue with parades that shut down Warren Street: the cost to the City. Moore pointed out that, in addition to the five parades that are regular events in Hudson--Memorial Day, Flag Day, Hudson Pride, Inspection Day, and Veterans' Day--there are countless groups that for one reason or another want to parade down (or up) Warren Street, and even parades that involve fewer than a hundred people and shut down the street for only a short time cost the City money. Police overtime is required to provide escort vehicles and to block access to Warren Street while the parade passes.

How much in demand is Warren Street for parades? To find out, Gossips checked the mass gathering permits that have been approved by the mayor, listed on the City website, for events that happened recently or that will happen between now and the end of the year.

• September 26--The Endless Love Temple held an event that involved a parade, starting at 3 p.m., from Seventh Street Park to Henry Hudson Riverfront Park
• October 24--United Way of Columbia and Greene Counties is having a fundraiser from 1o a.m. to 3 p.m.that begins with a Pet Costume Parade up Warren Street from the Chamber of Commerce to Seventh Street Park
• October 25--The Youth Department is having a Halloween parade, starting at 4 p.m., from Seventh Street Park to the Youth Center on Third Street
• November 7--The Salvation Army is having a Super Hero Fun Run, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., starting at Seventh Street Park and ending at the Chamber of Commerce, to kick off its holiday toy drive

Because of the timing, some of these events will not interfere with commerce on Warren Street, but all of them will require the HPD to provide escort vehicles and to block access to Warren Street.

Common Council president Don Moore suggested that it would be "a very good idea [for the Common Council Art, Entertainment & Tourism Committee] to review all mass gathering permits," presumably before the mayor signs off on them. Chief Moore suggested that the City "attach some kind of fee [to events that require police involvement] to cover the cost to the City," pointing out that the movie company that was in Hudson this summer filming Look Away, starring Matthew Broderick and Chloe Sevigny, paid for all the police overtime required by their activities.
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