Rapid City’s Festival of Lights Parade has been cancelled because of COVID-19.
The parade has been canceled only once before and that was due to a blizzard.
Steering Committee Chair Connie Olson says public safety and well-being were the primary reasons for the move.
Olson says several float entries had already pulled out because they were either uncomfortable gathering to work on their floats or weren’t able to find volunteers to help at all.
She says those moves left organizers feeling that “if we can’t, in good faith, ensure that our participants, staff, and spectators will be safe, that’s a problem.”