Organizers of an Independence Day parade in Fargo are marching it over to Moorhead this year to save money.
Last year, the United Patriotic Bodies organized Fargo's second Fourth of July Parade in 23 years.
But the group temporarily called it off when faced with an unexpected bill of $2,025 for special-event insurance and police protection.
Donations and volunteers came to the rescue just in time to resurrect a scaled-down parade, but the Patriotic Bodies decided, at least for this year, to move it to Moorhead.
"We didn't want to have to come up with the costs," said Terry Richardson, commander of United Patriotic Bodies.
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Moorhead's Police Department doesn't typically charge for barricades or traffic control at parades because they're community events, said Kaye Buchholz, a Moorhead city clerk.
Fargo's policy is to charge for overtime incurred at events like parades, North Dakota State University football games and Fargodome concerts, Sgt. Jeff Skuza said.
Richardson said special-event insurance isn't required in Moorhead, but it will be provided anyway by the Jaycees, who helped pick up the tab last year.
This year's five-eighth-of-a-mile parade - which begins at 12:30 p.m. - starts on 11th Street at the intersection with Fourth Avenue South, heads south to Ninth Avenue South, and ends in a Minnesota State University Moorhead parking lot between 13th and 14th streets.
Parade color guards will then help kick off the university's 33rd annual Fourth of July celebration.
The Patriotic Bodies wants marching units, vehicles and floats for the parade. For more information, contact Richardson at (701) 293-8500.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Andrea Domaskin at (701) 241-5556
