Staunton goes politically correct & renames Christmas parade

The annual Staunton Christmas Parade has been hit by the political correctness that is running throughout the nation.

Scheduled to be held on Monday, December 1, at 7 pm, the Staunton Downtown Organization has renamed the Christmas Parade the "Holiday Parade."

The blue city of Staunton, located in the red Shenandoah Valley, has gone politically correct with Christmas.

Local churches enter Christmas-themed floats each year ... high school bands play Christmas songs as they march along Beverley Street ... twirling clubs dress up in Christmasy elf costumes ... "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" is seen on many entries ... and who brings up the rear of the parade?

The big jolly elf himself ... Santa Claus.

On October 23 I wrote in my post "No 'Christmas'? No thanks":

The famous Grucci Fireworks Company, known throughout the nation for spectacular fireworks displays at major events, donated $5,000 worth of fireworks to the Patchogue (NY) Christmas Boat Parade in 2007 for their waterway celebration.

This year they have pulled completely out of the parade. Why? Because the powers-that-be decided to change the name to the Patchogue Holiday Boat Parade.

As reported by the Associated Press:

The company's vice president, Philip Butler, who has criticized the secularization of Christmas in the past, said parade organizers were "using all the themes of Christmas and plagiarizing all those themes."

Thank you, Mr. Butler. I concur.

The Patchogue parade was held last Saturday, November 22, with a full 50% less spectators than in the past as reports indicated approximately 500 fewer people were in attendance. Newsday reported:

A November chill and a Yuletide boycott apparently conspired to keep some spectators away from Patchogue's annual boat parade, but about 1,000 people still lined the Patchogue River yesterday to celebrate the event that had as its theme "Community United."

Brookhaven-based Fireworks by Grucci decided to pull its sponsorship this year because of the Greater Patchogue Foundation's decision to remove the word "Christmas" from the event's name. Grucci vice president Philip Butler, a self-described "Christmas cop" who has campaigned against the secularization of Christmas, and his supporters also encouraged residents to stay home on parade night.

The event, now called Patchogue Boat Parade of Lights, drew about 500 fewer spectators than usual, said David Kennedy, a member of the Greater Patchogue Foundation's Patchogue Riverfront Committee. Still, Kennedy said the parade was a success. It featured holiday-themed boats chugging about the river.

"If you ask anybody, they don't care about the name; they just enjoy the parade," he said.

Apparently, Mr. Kennedy, people do care.