The Dalton High School band marches past the city hall in downtown Dalton during the annual Dalton Christmas parade in this file photo.DALTON, Ga. – The Dalton Christmas parade may be returning downtown to its traditional Hamilton Street route after 10 years.
During an annual downtown town hall meeting Thursday evening, members of the Downtown Dalton Development Authority said they are working to complete the paperwork for the move.
In 2000, after Hamilton Street underwent a streetscape renovation, officials moved the parade to Thornton Avenue for safety reasons, according to Veronica French, director of the authority.
Both the police and fire departments have agreed the parade can be held on Hamilton Street again if all the businesses sign a petition and agree to certain safety measures, French said.
“Even after all these years, people would still come and set up on Hamilton Street to watch the parade,” French said. “We had a lot of requests from businesses and community members to move it back.”