Chamber says Mount Carmel Christmas parade will proceed but 7th Street display canceled due to pole safety

A representative of the Mount Carmel Chamber updated the council on plans for the city’s Christmas parade and reported a change to the decorative plan after a structural engineer’s review.

Leslie Hipster (speaker 5) said her parade application to the city was submitted and that the parade is planned for Dec. 6 with the same routes and requests as in past years. “No major changes as far as the parade is concerned,” Hipster said.

Hipster told the council the chamber hired a structural engineer after learning several 7th Street poles were not deemed structurally safe to support the city’s Christmas-tree decorations. As a result, the pole-mounted display at the 7th Street intersection will not be installed this year. Hipster said the chamber is working with the public utility and city staff on contingency options but expected it would be difficult to obtain and install a comparable commercial-grade display in time for the season.

What’s next: parade organizers will proceed with the December 6 event, and the chamber and city staff will continue to explore contingency decorations for the 7th Street intersection.