Batesburg-Leesville Christmas Parade cancelled

Batesburg-Leesville, SC (Paul Kirby) 11/25/2020 - The Batesburg-Leesville Chamber of Commerce announced late Tuesday afternoon that they were canceling their popular nighttime Christmas Parade of Lights. The decision to cancel this event was made after a meeting of the Chamber’s board Tuesday morning.

Mike Taylor, the Chamber׳s president and CEO said Tuesday that the decision was not based on any fear that people watching the parade would be exposed to the COVID-19 virus. He said Chamber leaders felt spectators standing or sitting along the parade route could easily take the necessary steps to social distance and use any other necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. Taylor said that it was simply a matter of not enough interest by parade participants this year. As of Tuesday morning, only 14 entries had been received. In past years, more than double that amount of entries were received.