BERLIN, Md. - Berlin officials are asking people to wait a little longer before staking out their favorite spots for this year’s Christmas parade.
The town has introduced new guidelines that say chairs, blankets and other items cannot be placed along Main Street until after 5 p.m. on parade day, which is Thursday, Dec. 4. The change comes after town staff said the number of chairs on the sidewalk has grown in recent years.
“It has been a tradition for quite some time for people to set their chairs, blankets, items up early in the day to kind of reserve their spot for the Christmas parade,” Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said. “In the last few years or the last several years, it's been more and more people doing that.”
Bohlen said last year was when the issue “came to a head.”
“We had a number of complaints from people trying to walk down the sidewalk pushing wheelchairs or strollers or with mobility aids, canes, walkers, that kind of thing,” she said. “And we realized that it was simply becoming too much of a problem for those with mobility issues to get through with the large volume of items being placed on the sidewalk.”
The new 5 p.m. start time is meant to line up with road closures ahead of the parade and to keep narrow sidewalks clear earlier in the day. Bohlen said she understands some people may be frustrated after years of putting out chairs first thing in the morning.
“I would not think so,” she said when asked if the change would dampen the event. “It's an adjustment. These are the days where we run into difficulty. Sometimes change can be difficult. And I think that people are resistant to it because it has been allowed for so long. But it's not the same world that it's been in the past. And unfortunately, we did have to put some limits on it.”
Bohlen said the goal is to make the parade more accessible, not to take away from the holiday tradition.
“The intent here obviously is not to ruin anyone's fun or to make things difficult for anyone,” she said. “It is, in fact, really our intent was to make it easier for those who were having difficulties navigating the sidewalks.”
Some business owners along Main Street say the early chair lines never caused major problems for them.
“I noticed each year there's a little bit more and more chairs,” said Chauncey Rhodes, who owns Viking Tree in Berlin. “I think it's kind of funny, and it's kind of a neat novelty of the town. It didn't really bother me, but I think it was definitely noticeable.”
Rhodes said he still expects the parade to be “pretty crowded, as always” and plans to keep putting out a bench so people can watch from in front of his shop.
Town officials say people are still encouraged to bring chairs and blankets after 5 p.m. and plan to listen to feedback after this year’s parade.