They held their annual lighted Christmas parade, but what happened took Lynden by surprise
Thousands of people flocked to the annual Northwest Lighted Christmas Parade in Lynden on Saturday, Dec. 5, grid locking the downtown core but delighting those who endured a wait that stretched hours for many.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event was designed as a drive-thru parade to keep spectators in their cars and socially distanced, said Gary Vis, director of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the 30-year-old event.
Vis apologized for the traffic nightmare, both on the chamber’s Facebook page and in an interview with The Bellingham Herald.
“You pick a street and it was pretty much plugged,” Vis said. “We never expected something like that.”
A photograph from the state Department of Traffic camera at Guide Meridian and River Road posted at the chamber’s Facebook page showed bumper to bumper traffic northbound into the city at approximately 7 p.m.
Vis thanked visitors for their patience and kindness.
“I know it was less than ideal, but the love we’ve gotten back was tremendous,” Vis said.
Nearly 700 comments were posted at the chamber’s Facebook page, almost all of them positive reviews of the event.
Meanwhile, hundreds of spectators walked the parade route, many of them without masks or face coverings, observers told The Herald.
Vis estimated that 4,500 to 5,000 cars drove along Front Street in downtown Lynden for the four to five hours that the lighted floats were on display.
That’s about four times the parade’s usual attendance, he said.
This year’s parade consisted of 26 lighted floats parked on the north side of Front Street from 17th to Third streets, also taking up the westbound lanes.
Cars full of spectators waited at 17th and Front and then drove in the eastbound lanes to see the colorful Christmas displays.
Drivers started waiting at approximately 3:30 p.m. for the parade that began at 4:30 p.m. and they were still cruising slowly past as late as 9 p.m. — long after its scheduled 8 p.m. end.
Police and volunteers had prepared for traffic control, but the situation became unmanageable quickly, as spectators drove from as far away as Everett and Olympia for what’s normally a hometown event with a Dutch flair, Vis said.
“They did the best they could given the circumstances,” Vis said.
This story was originally published December 7, 2020 at 1:25 PM.
