CarmelFest bans candy at July 4 parade
Every year a scene plays out at parades nationwide. Families line the route, with children scrambling to grab candy that has been tossed from trucks, cars and floats or handed out by parade participants.
That won't be the case in Carmel this year.
The CarmelFest Fourth of July Parade has banned candy from its parade route for 2016.
The parade's organizing committee released a statement saying candy can no longer be distributed by participants, citing safety concerns for children who tend to run into the street to collect the candy that has been tossed out. In recent years, parade marshals have said there was an increase in close calls when children darted out in front of moving parade vehicles.
"Although some people will be disappointed with the new parade policy, we can all agree that the most important part of any public gathering is a safe environment for family, friends and neighbors," said Cindy Roberts-Greiner, CarmelFest public relations director, in the news release.
The safety of tossing candy has been a frequent topic at parade committee meetings, the release said. The committee talked to local safety officials and the festival's insurance providers.
Mary Rinehart, a nanny for two children in Carmel, said getting rid of candy tossing would decrease stress on parents who may be worried that their child is at risk of running into the road or consuming too much sugar.
"It's probably for the best," she said, "because then the moms have to deal with it once they get home."
But getting candy at the parade does attract children, she said.
"It does make it kind of special," Rinehart said.
Jackie Ashby-Allen, Noblesville, said she has raised four children and has two grandchildren and she never thought safety was an issue at the parade.
"A parade is not going 35 mph," she said. "Nobody is going to get run over."
Kendal Rodgers, Indianapolis, agreed, saying she trusts her 2-year-old son.
"He knows not to go in the road," she said.
Parade units who disobey any of the festivals' rules will be denied participation in future events.
Other cities have restrictions on how candy can be distributed but few ban candy all together.
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Plainville, Conn., for instance, recently asked parade participants to be gentler and hand out candy for the community's Memorial Day Parade. Evergreen Park, Ill., did the same, as did Garden City, Kan.
Candy cannot be tossed during the Noblesville Fourth of July parade, but parade participants are allowed to hand out candy, pencils and flyers, said Robert Herrington, co-organizer of the event.
"We do not allow the throwing of candy from floats or cars because it is a safety concern for young children running into the road," he said in an email.
The Fishers Freedom Festival follows the same rules, as does Shelbyville's Downtown Shelby Days festival in September.
Even without candy, CarmelFest parade-goers will have plenty of attractions. The 2016 parade, themed "Celebrating Indiana's Bicentennial," features more than 100 entries, including marching bands, motorcycle drill teams, clowns, Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders and more, according to the event website.
The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. July 4 at Carmel Drive and AAA Way. It will proceed west to Range Line Road, head north onto Range Line to Main Street and end at Carmel High School at 12:30 p.m.
For more information about CarmelFest 2016, visit carmelfest.net.
Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.