The Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade is saved, thanks to a local Facebook group

Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer
·3 min read
The Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade is a beloved holiday tradition that has brought neighbors together for nearly a century, gathering along Glenway and Warsaw Avenues to watch floats, bands, cars, dignitaries and other parade entries.
The Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade is a beloved holiday tradition that has brought neighbors together for nearly a century, gathering along Glenway and Warsaw Avenues to watch floats, bands, cars, dignitaries and other parade entries.

A local Facebook group is attempting to save a time-honored community tradition, the Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Although the announcement to permanently end the parade came in August, community members have recently taken to Facebook to try to save the annual event.

Price Hill Arts Connection chairperson Joe Tallarigo has spearheaded the efforts to save the parade.

Tallarigo, who grew up in Price Hill, would spend Thanksgiving with his family watching the parade from Radel Funeral & Cremation Services. Now he wants that tradition to live on for future Price Hill families.

In August, he wrote that the estimated cost to restore the parade for 2023 would be $6,000. He said they would also need a dedicated committee of five or six residents tasked with filing permits, raising money, assigning barricade helpers, finding participants and more.

"The committee who ran it for thirty years deserves our thanks and recognition for their hard work and dedication to bringing lifelong memories and joy to Price Hill on Thanksgiving mornings," Tallarigo wrote.

Tallarigo told The Enquirer that he wanted to save the parade to honor past committee members and their dedication to the Price Hill community. He also wanted to carry on the beloved tradition not just for himself but for all Price Hill residents.

"For me, it's important to carry on the tradition, not just for me but for every Price Hillian," Tallarigo said.

The grassroots campaign currently has 52 members. Although there will be no Price Hill Thanksgiving Day parade this year, Tallarigo said it will be back for 2023 and in future years.

"I want people to come and enjoy the parade and make memories for kids and grandkids."

Tallarigo said a strategic planning meeting for the 2023 parade will likely happen in November.

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Why was the Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade canceled?

According to a post from Ben Klayer, a parade volunteer, a letter was sent to the sponsors and participants over the summer about the unanimous decision to cancel the 2022 event. The letter lists three major factors that contributed to the committee members' decision: costs, safety and the retirement of parade organizers.

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The letter explained that most of the committee members have been organizing the parade for over 30 years, which has become tiresome for many individuals who want to relax and spend time with their families on Thanksgiving.

"Thank you again for supporting the parade," the letter stated. "We couldn’t have done it without you. There will be a void this upcoming holiday season, since we will not be outside on Thanksgiving morning. But we will always remember the good times, the friends we made, and the spirit of Price Hill that still thrives."

Klayer, who's been helping the parade committee since 2018, said it was a fun and rewarding experience, but the committee did not receive enough help from community members to keep it going. He said the COVID-19 pandemic also caused organizers to scale back last year's event.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade is saved, thanks to Facebook