Vermont Maple Festival - The Giant Parade

The 42nd Annual Vermont Maple Festival will be April 25, 26 and 27, 2008 in St. Albans , Vermont . The Parade is Sunday, April 27. Please review and adhere to the Parade rules and general information.

Registration -

No entry fee.

“Maple and More” is our theme.

The registration form must be completed and returned to the parade committee. Pre-registration helps everyone on parade day. No entries will be accepted on Sunday April 27.

One week before the parade someone will inform you what section to report to, time, etc.

Mail completed entry form to:

Vermont Maple Festival Parade

Carrie Parent, Chair

311 Lake St .

St. Albans , VT 05478

Horse Units -

The St. Albans Police Department and the Maple Festival arranged the following for horses to avoid traffic congestion and encourage public safety. Please follow this directive.

Horse units must unload before the parade at Sticks & Stuff on Lower Newton Street.

Leave all trucks and/trailers parked at Sticks & Stuff.

Travel North Elm Street to South Elm to Lower Weldon to Houghton Street where you will wait for the parade to begin.

To exit the city after the parade, take a left out of Sticks & Stuff, take next left, go to North Elm Street to Lower Weldon Street, onto Lemnah Drive to Nason Street, up to South Main near J & L Service Center to Interstate 89 access or south on Route 7.

All horse units must provide proof of insurance and abide by the above rules!!

Parade Protocol -

All parade entries should be in their staging area on Houghton Street by 12:15 p.m. on parade day. Only parade vehicles will be permitted in these lots.

Commercial vehicles are not permitted in the parade except to pull or support a float.

To keep the parade moving, no participants will be allowed to stop the parade to perform on the parade route or at the reviewing stand.

Politicians must park in the S. B. Collins or C.V.P.S. parking lots and walk to Section 1 on the north end of Houghton Street or walk to Section 1 from the Lake Street area.

Parents taking children to the staging areas cannot park there. Please walk in from either Lower Weldon or Lake Street. If you are transporting materials for floats or entries, you may drive in, unload and leave as soon as possible.

Safety Issues -

Candy throwing is not allowed from a moving vehicle. If you wish to distribute candy or other goodies, please have walkers hand it to the children. This will keep them away from the wheels of moving vehicles.

You will not be allowed to toot horns, run sirens, work noisy machinery, etc. out of respect for other parade participants.

Only the driver is allowed on an open tractor.

Staging Areas -

There are four staging areas on or off Houghton Street.

Section 1 organizes on north end of Houghton Street.

Section 2 organizes in the State Building front parking lot.

Section 3 organizes in the Immigration Building front parking lot.

Section 4 organizes in the Mylan parking lot, fenced in area across the street, on the corner of Houghton and Lower Weldon Streets.

A number of parade volunteers will be in the area and happy to assist you. They wear orange safety vests and red and yellow hats.

A complete parade listing will be posted on the Immigration sign and on a car at the north end of Houghton Street.

Awards -

The festival committee requires decorated floats. Up to four monetary awards and rosette ribbons will be awarded to the best maple floats after the parade, as soon as the judges make their decisions.

Floats will be judged during the parade as you pass by the reviewing stand.