The local man who last year gave Fargo its first Fourth of July parade in two decades hasn't arranged an encore.
Don Johnson said he had wanted the event to become a tradition, but those he asked to carry on the work declined the offer.
"It's extremely time-consuming," Johnson said. "Everyone was busy."
Johnson and friend Arlene Cegla organized much of last year's event from a donated office in the Black Building, spending the weeks leading up to July calling local businesses, potential entrants and nearby towns.
With 36 units, the big event fell short of what Johnson had initially planned, but he still called the turnout a success. It would have been an even bigger draw had the media given more exposure to it, he said.
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On Broadway, where the 1½-mile route ended, one store owner told Johnson he estimated about 5,000 people came to watch. The turnout proved not everyone in Fargo goes to a lake for the holiday, a popular excuse people use for having no parade, he said.
"I guess anyone looking at it would learn that it could be done," Johnson said.
Cegla said she had never intended to help organize the event a second time, but she still was sorry to hear Fargo wouldn't have a July 4 parade this year.
For Johnson, organizing the event was just too much work to carry on. He said he asked three friends in service organizations to take over the parade, but they were busy.
Brad Stephenson, owner of the Broadway store B.D.S. Books, said he wasn't surprised by the parade's failure to take hold. It's typical for our society, he said, where people don't have enough time to take the lead in civic affairs.
"We're just all too busy, even in a city our size," Stephenson said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Forster at (701) 241-5538
