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Commission discusses fall festival parade, asks staff to return with cost estimates and naming options
Summary
Organizers told the commission the fall festival is scheduled for Sept. 26–27 with a parade on Sept. 27; commissioners asked staff to seek cost estimates for required police support, consider renaming to reflect the Center for Growth and Hope, and discuss parade scope at an upcoming workshop.
City staff and event organizers briefed the Nicholasville City Commission on March 10 about plans for this year's fall festival and requested permission to close roads and receive police support for a parade on Saturday morning, Sept. 27.
Event organizer Anne Nip told the commission the fairgrounds are reserved for Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27, and that the committee has removed the weekday events used in previous years to reduce conflicts with schools and to lower policing needs. Nip said the parade route and permit paperwork are forthcoming and asked for city approval to block roads and arrange police support for the parade morning.
Commission discussion: Commissioners said they supported holding a parade but raised several operational and branding questions. Several commissioners suggested the parade be marketed as a joint community production — potentially with the Chamber of Commerce, tourism offices and fiscal court — and discussed whether the parade should be renamed to explicitly credit the sponsoring nonprofit (the Center for Growth and Hope) so the public understands it is a private event rather than a city‑sponsored festival. One commissioner asked that organizers be prepared to reimburse overtime and other city expenses for police and first‑responder staffing when the city provides support for a private event.
Follow-up directions: The commission asked staff and the organizer to do the following before final approval: - Prepare a cost estimate for police and traffic control overtime and provide that figure at an upcoming workshop for further discussion; the chief was asked to compile expense estimates. - Explore renaming or co‑branding options (for example, adding Center for Growth and Hope to the event name) and report back on branding implications. - Consider parade scope (full Main Street route versus a shorter route) and potential partnerships with the chamber, tourism and nearby jurisdictions; commissioners suggested discussing this further at the joint meeting with Wilmore and Jessamine County and at an April workshop.
No formal motion to approve road closures or police support was recorded at the March 10 meeting; commissioners agreed to treat the parade request as an item for further discussion once the requested cost and partnership information is available.
