Nevada Day board announces campaign-free parade this year, fines for throwing candy from floats
Changes are afoot at the Nevada Day Parade this year, held on Saturday, Oct. 28, with one major change being highlighted: this year, the parade with be campaign-free.
“Due to the division in our political system, the last few years have brought threats that have kept officials away from the parade,” Executive Director Brooke Santina said. “We’ve seen spectators lunging at or screaming profanities at our elected officials, in front of children, which we do not condone.”
So in an effort to calm the triggers the provoke bad behavior, Santina said, the board voted to ban all campaigns from the parade circuit.
This means no campaign signs, handouts, or other paraphernalia geared toward influencing someone’s vote.
This does not mean the parade will be politician-free, however.
Sitting officials are invited to come to represent their office as they have in the past, as they are a “crucial part of the state and should be part of the celebration,” Santina said.
However, new candidates for office will be asked to walk with either the Democratic or Republican floats, should they choose.
In addition, the board has instituted fines for floats and entries that throw candy or toys to children.
For several years throwing anything from floats has been banned due to the fact that children will run into the road to seek candy that did not make it to the sidewalk, which could cause injuries.
Candy and toys are still welcomed, however, but they simply need to be passed out along the sidewalk area directly to children, as opposed to being thrown from the center of the road.
“This has been an issue with our elected officials in the past,” Santina said. “Not only could it hit someone, but it encourages children to enter the roadway to retrieve candy and is a huge safety and insurance liability for us.”
Entries that throw anything from the floats will be fined $150.
This year, the theme for the parade is “Home Means Nevada.”
To learn more about the parade, or even become a sponsor, please visit https://www.nevadaday.com/