The location of a parade meant to celebrate arts and culture was moved from a main road to a less busy one in downtown DeKalb. That’s because some businesses were concerned about road blocks interfering with prime Saturday business hours.
ARTigras was held for the first time last year and will be on May 7 and 8 this year. The festival’s 40-minute parade was originally supposed to go from First to Fourth Streets on Lincoln Highway, but it was moved to Locust Street.
DeKalb mayor John Rey says closing Lincoln Highway for events like this has been a concern for some downtown businesses on that road. But Rey says prep for this parade won’t be nearly as demanding as CornFest, for example.
“I don’t know that it’s understood that ARTigras does not require that kind of preparation,” Rey said.
Christie Carter owns Carter’s Cottage Interiors and was the business owner who approached city officials about concerns about the parade. She says she spoke on behalf of three downtown merchants, including herself.
Carter told city officials the time of the parade interfered with her business’s peak Saturday hours.
Carter says she was unable to name the other two businesses for privacy reasons.
