COVID-19 plays havoc with event planning

With the pandemic continuing to hang uncertainly in the future, many usual fall activities in Grady County remain in limbo, such as Boo on Broad, the Christmas Parade and Cairo High School’s Homecoming parade.

Whether Boo on Broad will take place this year is uncertain, according to Alyssa Blakley, Cairo Main Street director.

“The City of Cairo Main Street program is consulting with community health leaders on event options that will be safe for the community to enjoy during the Fall/Winter,” states Blakley. “More details to come.”

Boo on Broad is the annual Halloween event that takes place downtown. Broad Street is blocked off and merchants give out candy to provide a safe place for youngsters to trick-or-treat.

The Calvary Lions Club has already announced that it has canceled this year’s Mule Day, usually held the first Saturday of each November.

The fate of the Cairo Christmas Parade should be decided in coming weeks, according to Courtney King, interim executive director of the Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce.

“It is a waiting game at this point,” states King. “However, we will be planning something to take the place of the parade if it cannot happen.”

Cairo High School is going forward with some plans for its homecoming, scheduled this year for the week of Nov. 2, according to Tammy Donalson, assistant principal and instructional coordinator for Cairo High.

“We want to make sure it’s special for the seniors,” says Donalson.

She says they will announce the homecoming court and king and queen nominees in an assembly of some sort, with one option being to include seniors only in-person with the proceedings broadcast live to all of the school’s classrooms for the rest of the student body.

Students will have dress-up days during the week, decorations hung along hallways, and the queen, court and king presented during halftime of that Friday night’s football game. A pep rally is also a possibility, she says.

Whether there will be a parade and a dance remain unknown. The school leaders do plan to apply for a parade permit from the City of Cairo, though, Donalson says.

Whether there will be a homecoming dance is still unknown, but Donalson says there will likely be some sort of activity if a dance can’t happen.