Night of Lights canceled
Kids ride on a float in the Night of Lights parade in this file photo.
The Columbia Falls Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday that they have decided to cancel the annual Night of Lights parade and celebration in Columbia Falls due to concerns about spreading coronavirus.
“Regretfully it’s not going to occur due to Covid-19,” Columbia Falls Rotary president Max Faller said.
Directives by Gov. Steve Bullock recently limited crowds to 25 where social distancing couldn’t be practiced.
The parade typically draws more than 1,000 people, as it stretches down Nucleus Avenue.
It’s usually held the first Friday of December and has been ongoing for decades, though not interrupted.
A few years ago the Rotary canceled the parade because it was bitterly cold, with temperatures well below zero and high winds.
This year the Rotary and the Chamber had planned on working on the event together.
“It will be missed,” Faller said. “Both organizations wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday season.”
The number of people who have died from coronavirus increased by nine in Flathead County alone on Tuesday, with five of them associated with an unnamed longterm care facility. To date, 39 people have died from the disease in the county. As of Wednesday, the county had at least 2,254 active cases.