Wednesday September 26, 2012

NORTH ADAMS -- The Fall Foliage Parade Committee is working on last-minute details for the 57th annual Fall Foliage Parade, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 30, at 1 p.m.

The committee is working with the North Adams Police Department on the public safety aspect of the Fall Foliage Festival and Parade. The police will work on street postings, road closings, detours and all safety precautions.

Outside departments, including the Clarksburg Police and the Berkshire County sheriff and the deputies of Berkshire County, will assist with traffic and crowd control.

The night before the parade, there will be a list of streets posted with "no parking" signs. These streets include Main, Church, lower Eagle, State, Curran Highway, Ashland, Blackinton and Porter. The postings will begin after midnight and take approximately three hours to post throughout the city. At daybreak, the police will put out rope along the route in the downtown area to retain the crowd and to designate an area for handicapped viewing. By this time, street cones, wooden horses and signs will have been placed at all intersections, with the help of the North Adams Depart ment of Public Works.

Portions of the route will be shut down at 11 a.m., including all north-bound traffic into the city via Route 8. At noon, all traffic detour posts will be in place. At this time, police will work to ensure the safety of the runners in the 5K Fall Foliage Festival Road Race,

Advertisement
which signals the parade is soon to begin.

Due to the construction on the Hadley Overpass, this year the parade committee is closing the bridge to spectators and is asking people to make plans to view the parade from an alternate location. Parade goers can still view the parade from the north and south ends of the bridge.

After the police cruisers take up the rear of the parade, the department begins the job of breaking down the detours, taking down all the "no parking" signs and everything else left from crowd control.

For more information about the Fall Foliage Parade, visit www.fallfoliageparade.com, or call 413-499-4000, ext. 126.