Dec 23, 2020 | STATESCOOP
The COVID-19 pandemic nearly canceled a beloved holiday tradition in Grapevine, Texas, this year, but some creative planning and the use of geographic information systems technology allowed the city of about 50,000 to hold its annual Christmas parade on Main Street, though in a slightly different format.
Instead of the usual processional, which is staged each year as one of the top attractions in the city’s “40 Days of Christmas” program, officials instead held a “reverse parade,” in which the floats remain stationary while people drive past in their cars.
Grapevine had originally planned to scrap the event entirely as the health crisis rages, said Betsi Chatham, a city GIS manager, but the city’s claim to be the “Christmas Capital of Texas” prompted staff to come up with an alternative.