The editorial staff of the Burlington Standard Press compiled and ranked the top 15 news stories of 2020. The complete list appears in the Dec. 31 edition of the newspaper. The top 10 stories, presented in descending order, will appear here:
10. Spooky City and Christmas parade canceled
Two of Burlington’s popular and beloved traditions – the Spooky City Halloween celebration and the annual Christmas parade – were nixed in 2020 due to concerns regarding coronavirus.
The Burlington Common Council denied a special event permit for the 31st annual Spooky City event due to COVID-19 concerns during a special meeting on Oct. 14.
But the meeting also saw approval of traditional trick-or-treating. City officials have reportedly sent out public service announcements about safety regarding the event amid a pandemic.
According to Shad and Kristine Branen, organizers of Spooky City, the Common Council decided against holding the event after Shad Branen presented two alternatives in response to local and statewide spikes in COVID-19 cases.
The first option, he said, was a more traditional event with pedestrian trick-or-treating, but requiring face coverings of all participants, a one-way walking route, and assigning one person at each participating business to distribute to treats outside their front door.
The other alternative featured a vehicular option with a driving route comparable to a parade.
Several weeks later, the City Council issued a similar ruling concerning another Burlington tradition – the annual Christmas parade.
Concerns over the potential to spread coronavirus at mass gatherings and the prospect of stretching city staff – including police and firefighters – too thin while possibly exposing them COVID-19 factored into the city’s decision.
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