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The Decatur Police Department and Chief Kevin Gerber has released the following information to help prepare you for your travels around the Callithumpian Parade, to include detour and exit plans…
As in the past each October, Decatur has its annual Callithumpian Parade. This year it is scheduled to be held on Monday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. Prior to the 7:00 p.m. start of the parade, the parade route will be cleared of all traffic at 6:30 p.m. and will use the traffic detour on Jackson Street. In order to detour traffic from the parade route and downtown area, we will be using Jackson Street from the Bellmont High School intersection to the 5th Street intersection. We will be rerouting the large truck traffic along with all personal vehicle traffic on this street. This means that Jackson Street will become two-way traffic for the duration of the parade and it will become highly traveled. Any vehicle traffic trying to get to the high school or other staging areas after 6:30 p.m. must use Jackson Street. Second Street downtown will be blocked off and cleared of all traffic at 5 p.m. from Monroe Street to 5 Points.
There will be a traffic pattern change at the Bellmont High School Campus the night of the Callithumpian Parade. Parents dropping children and participants arriving for the formation of the parade at Bellmont High School should use the North Adams Drive main entrance into Bellmont High School off 224 by Jackson Street. This will become one-way traffic to ENTER the high school area only. To EXIT the high school, you must go out the back exit onto East Monroe Street. There you will be directed east (left) to Piqua Road or you may use CR 200 E to go back to 224 and get back into town. East Monroe Street extended will be closed at 6:00 p.m. by Expert Transmission and at the back entrance to the high school to allow the lining up of floats on the street by the Callithumpian committee. No through traffic will be allowed eastbound or westbound after 6:00 p.m. Monday evening from the back entrance of the high school to approximately Ogg Street on East Monroe Street until the end of the parade.
Due to the high volume of traffic that immediately follows the end of the parade, it is necessary to get the vehicles out of the immediate area parking lots in a timely manner. This year we will again be using the following plan for the Riverside Center lot, the Chamber of Commerce Lot, and the former Gerber’s lot. All three of these lots are in the same area and are extremely popular parking areas for the parade. At the end of the parade there will be police officers at these locations to assist in getting traffic out of those areas. The following routes of travel will be observed:
FORMER GERBER’S LOT: All traffic will be emptied from the lot and directed to the right (east). Any person wanting to go west must proceed to the intersection of North Adams Drive (Bellmont High School) and Jackson Street. They will then be allowed to turn left and head west.
RIVERSIDE CENTER LOT: All traffic will be let out of the back entrance onto Jackson Street and turned right (east). They will proceed to the traffic light at 224 and North Adams Drive and there they will be allowed to turn east or west onto 224. The front entrances onto 224 (Monroe Street) will be blocked off so that no traffic can enter onto 224 from those entrances.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LOT: All traffic will be let out of the back entrance onto Jackson Street and turned right (east). Any vehicle needing to go left (west) is recommended to follow the traffic detour on Jackson Street to the traffic light at 224 and North Adams Drive and will be allowed to turn east or west onto 224. The front entrance onto 224 (Monroe Street) by the Chamber building will be blocked so that no traffic can enter from these entrances. If you use this lot, please be patient as Riverside Center parking lot will be using the same plan for traffic movement.
All officers directing traffic will give priority to 224 (Monroe Street) traffic. The above plans will allow us to get the vehicles out of the parking areas and onto Monroe Street the most efficiently. Vehicles entering onto Monroe Street, other than at the above locations, can expect some delays. Traffic will be broken periodically by the officers to allow the vehicles into the traffic pattern. Please remember that Monroe Street will be given the highest priority to move the traffic safely and with the least amount of delays.
I would like to ask that you realize you may be inconvenienced from normal travel and also realize that we will be moving a great amount of traffic in a short time. We will try to make this as stress-free as possible for you. We would appreciate your giving extra attention, understanding, and patience as you approach the manned intersections for any directions being given.
For everyone’s enjoyment of the parade, no dogs or bicycles will be allowed along the parade route.