Last week, we put out the call for input on a couple topics:
---Otter Tail County's plan to temporarily relocate one snowplow truck until they arrive at a permanent storage solution. Will this have an impact on plowing and snow removal in Perham?
---Turtle Fest...moving the parade to Friday night; concentrating on a Friday-Saturday schedule.
In the letters to the editor this week, we have a response on the county issue.
We also had a comment from a Turtle Fest parade spectator. Excerpts are printed here.
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"Thank you for requesting comment on the celebration. Perham has a wonderful celebration and this makes the town just boom. We came to the parade for the 1st time and were rather disappointed, yet enjoyed it. Where are the bands?...We think this makes a parade. They also need a banner to introduce the features as they come down. This helps the people watching if you are not near the speaker introducing the units... Please relate these few ideas to the committee. We will be back if you have some bands, Fergus does......"
Our quick comment on marching bands: There are fewer and fewer schools with marching band programs. Funding is, for the most part, the issue. The few schools that still have marching programs are in high demand at parades--from the Canadian to the Iowa borders.
One of the reasons the Turtle Fest committee is considering a Friday night parade is in an effort to book a marching band or two. Turtle Fest falls on a weekend when there are band competitions in Alexandria and St, Cloud, both Saturday and Sunday. Most of the regional bands that would be most likely to perform here are already committed to those marching band festivals. With a Friday night parade in Perham, we might have a chance to attract a band before they travel to Alexandria or St. Cloud.
For online comments on these topics, or any others on your mind, go to perhameb.com and look for this column, and the "add a comment" link.
Email you comments to editor@eot.com
Fax comments at 218-346-5901.
