Levan activities committee revives holiday events, seeks volunteers for electric parade

Linda Hanks, who provided the activities update at the Levan Town Council meeting on Nov. 17, told the council the activities committee has secured a parade permit and is working to revive the community electric parade that organizers said will take place on the Saturday evening after Thanksgiving with a start time given in the meeting as 6:30 p.m. Hanks asked for volunteers to staff side streets and requested that Levan provide at least one fire engine as part of the parade staging.

Why it matters: The parade and related holiday programming are presented as community-building events that rely heavily on local volunteers and town support. Organizers also plan complementary activities intended to draw families and visitors into town and to raise money for a local charity.

Details and logistics: Hanks described the parade staging near the church/greenhouse intersection and said the route will end at the city park. She said search-and-rescue teams will not be assigned to staffing duties; instead the committee is seeking volunteers to monitor side streets and intersections in case emergency personnel are called away. Hanks said each town is expected to supply a float (the town will have a town float and VIP floats were discussed).

Hanks said the county will host an associated tree festival that includes in-person and online bidding; the meeting record states bidding will start at about $100 and that proceeds this year will go to “Courage Against Cancer.” The county is providing hot chocolate and donuts at the park, and organizers plan to display large storybook panels around participating communities with a family activity to visit each panel and collect a picture to redeem at the county office.

Decorations and displays: The county has purchased 12-foot inflatables to represent each town; Levan’s inflatable was described in the meeting as the snowman. Hanks encouraged towns to decide when to turn on lights and how to place and secure displays. She also said coloring pages are being distributed to schools and that a stack will be available at the town for non-school-age residents.

Summer programming: Council members briefly discussed summer activities; one council member mentioned a proposed “speed rodeo” for a date spoken in the meeting as the '20 fourth.' Hanks said she will support summer programming if the council directs it.

What’s next: Hanks said volunteers should text her to sign up; the activities committee will meet again the following Monday to finalize assignments and logistics. The council did not take formal action on the parade at the Nov. 17 meeting.