Ho-ho-no-go: Lack of staff forces Garner to cancel Christmas parade

This time around, Town Manager Rodney Dickerson said Wednesday, a staffing shortage is to blame.

"Events like that – like the parade or July 3rd – are pretty much all hands on deck for Parks & Rec and some of our other departments, and our supplemental staffing is down," Dickerson said. "It’s certainly a tough decision. We know that [parade] has been a foundation of the community for a while."

Officials also are considering scaling back or moving the town's Trick or Treat the Trails event because of staffing issues and fewer vendors this year.

"It’s very unfortunate that we’re not going to be able to do that," said Kentrell Perry, who owns Locs Naturals & More Salon on Main Street.

Perry, a Downtown Garner Association board member, said the parade represents the town's principles and values. More than that, he said, it's an opportunity for residents in the growing town to socialize and get to know each other.

"We don’t know each other, and these types of events give us the opportunity to have those necessary dialogues," Perry said. "This is one of the opportunities that we’re all looking forward to, to being able to get some revitalization."

Dickerson said more than a dozen positions in Garner's parks department are vacant, forcing officials to also cut programs at the new downtown recreation center, which has been operating at 50 percent.

"This economy, this American economy, is suffering, with a lot of staffing shortages in all sectors, and we’re trying to do the best we can to get some people on board. But at this point, we’re short and just trying to make the best," he said. "We just ask our public to be patient with us, and we’ll try to put on the best programs we can for them," Dickerson said.

Instead of a parade, Garner officials are planning a smaller festival on Dec. 4 to kick off the holiday season. Details are still being worked out.

"We think it’s going to be a great event. It’s going to be downtown. It will actually last longer than a parade lasts," Dickerson said.

Garner business owners also are putting together smaller events to bring people downtown for the holidays, Perry said.