New Hampshire

NH holiday parades have a tough time

Salem, Derry organizers struggle with finances

By Doug Ireland
direland@eagletribune.com
Published: November 4, 2009

With donations lagging and budgets tight this year, some Southern New Hampshire parade organizers already know what will top their wish lists this holiday season: money, the more, the merrier.

They still need all the contributions they can get to put on the annual parades.

"Donations are not coming in as quick as we need them to come in," said Pat Hargreaves, a Salem selectman and chairman of the town's parade committee.

As a result, Salem's holiday parade is in serious trouble this year as the committee of volunteers tries to find the additional $12,000 needed to fund the event, he said.

And Salem is not alone.

Fewer corporate donations and strained parade budgets have made it difficult for organizers in area communities to plan what for many people is the perfect way to ring in a joyous holiday season.

Derry also has had a hard time. Although Hampstead is just starting to plan its parade, donations have been down in the last few years. Across the state border in Haverhill, organizers recently said they still needed $30,000 to put on the city's annual Santa Parade, a 45-year tradition.

While there are no plans to cancel any of these parades, some organizers have said the only way to cope with their decreased finances is by cutting back. With many towns, residents and businesses struggling to make ends meet during the recession, that might mean fewer bands, entertainers and even floats.

"The parade will still go on, but it's much smaller than usual," Hargreaves said.

He said only about $3,000 has been raised in Salem at a time of the year when they usually have $11,000 for the town's $15,000 parade down North Policy Street, Main Street and Geremonty Drive.

Usually, companies are more than happy to donate, he said, including some in Massachusetts. Hargreaves spoke of one Bay State firm that used to contribute about $475, but ended up having tough times of its own, eventually closing.

Money from local municipal governments also is drying up.

This year, Salem allocated $4,000 for the parade, scheduled for Nov. 29, but next year there is no guarantee it will receive any money from the town, Hargreaves said.

The entertainment isn't cheap. The parade committee must dole out hundreds or even thousands of dollars for each group that performs, whether it's the popular Shriners or local high school marching bands, which each receive about $1,000 to $2,000, Hargreaves said.

Much of the money paid to the bands funds transportation and insurance costs, Hargreaves said.

While Salem struggles to find enough money, the prospects are much better for Derry's annual holiday parade, despite being in the same bleak financial straits only two months ago, according to parade committee co-chairman Steve Dente.

"There was a lot of worry then," Dente said Thursday. "With the economy, it's kind of scary."

Back in September, organizers needed $4,500 to fund the $10,000 parade and donations were few. Word circulated around town that the annual tradition, which attracts an estimated 10,000 people, was in trouble.

"That's when I became concerned," said Dente, who has helped organize the parade for 20 years.

But when people heard the parade needed help, help is what they did. The donations started rolling in.

Things are looking up in Derry

"It's gotten better," Dente said. "A couple of businesses have stepped forward and helped us out quite a bit."

The parade, put on by the Greater Derry/Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, usually features nearly 80 bands, floats and groups of performers as it travels through downtown.

This year, it's scheduled for Nov. 28 and the theme is "A Star-Spangled Holiday." More band sponsors and volunteers are still needed to help out on the day of the parade, Dente said.

With less than a month to ago before the big day, Dente is optimistic they will have the $1,500 to $2,000 still needed to put on the parade as planned.

"We have expectations that it is going to come in," he said. "We'll make it up. I have confidence in it."

Although Salem and Derry organizers have been worried about funding their parades for months, the leader of Hampstead's holiday procession isn't too concerned about finances, although he admits donations have declined in recent years. The planning for the Dec. 13 parade is just beginning.

"We're not worried if we don't get enough," said John Curley, president of the Hampstead Firemen's Association, which organizes the event. "There will still be a parade."

He said there isn't a standard budget for the parade and the association relies on donations collected throughout the year and its sale of Christmas trees, always a big hit.

"We have never had an issue not selling out on Christmas trees," he said. "We usually sell out."

The parade, which begins and ends on Main Street, usually features 12 to 18 floats, Curley said. This year, the theme is "Christmas Bells." After the parade, everyone will gather at the fire station where the trophies will be awarded, and hot chocolate and cookies will be served.

And, of course, Santa will make his presence known at all three Southern New Hampshire parades. Other holiday activities are scheduled as well.

But before the first float rolls along the parade route and the first marching band plays a note, the parade organizers are actually hoping for a green Christmas — green, as in donations, that is.

They hope some more last-minute contributions will make for a brighter holiday season.

"No donation is ever too small," Hargreaves said.

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