I love a parade... Practically everyone does, and especially traditional hometown Christmas parades. Unless you’re talking about the 2012 Lake Wales Christmas Parade... This year’s parade has only brought me discouragement and disappointment.

For the second year in a row, the decision makers for the annual Christmas Parade have chosen a route that avoids downtown businesses on Stuart and Park Ave. I am one of those business owners who is working very hard to build a business that will help revive downtown Lake Wales as a place to visit and enjoy. We are very supportive of any downtown efforts to bring people to shop, dine and do business in the downtown area, extending our hours of operation to fit the events that happen downtown.