No Christmas parade in St. Martinville

St. Martinville – There will be no Christmas parade here this year, or in the foreseeable future, according to parade organizers.
Goerge Choplin, past president of the St. Martinville Kiwanis, has been the main organizer and promoter of the parade for the past 23 years. He appeared before the city council Monday to bring the bad news: The parade has to end.
Choplin cited a number of factors that have made the holiday event untenable. Chief among them is the new set of security requirements that ended the Newcomer’s Club Mardi Gras Parade earlier in the year.
A security study was solicited from ULL police chief Joey Sturm addressing requirements for parade crowd control. In that study, Sturm proposed that a prohibitive number of barricades were needed, and enough police officers (215) to join hands along both sides of the entire parade route.
The Sheriff’s Office ended its past practice of providing support and security for the Mardi Gras parade, citing Sturm’s report. A new city parade ordinance reflecting the study’s findings and cancellation was inevitable. To a large extent, the Christmas parade is collateral damage. Choplin said the cost of around $27,000 to meet the new requirements is too much.
“I bring you this news with a heavy heart, but that kind of money will do more good for St. Martinville in other programs,” he said, adding that the Kiwanis will plan new Christmas events of some kind starting next year.