OU's Homecoming Parade will be bypassing one of Athens' main drags this year.
Ohio University alumni might have noticed that OU’s Homecoming Parade has spent a significantly shorter amount of time on Court Street in the past few years
But this year, the route will likely cover even less space on Court Street, which has some local business leaders up in arms.
“The latest proposed parade route is going to completely bypass the commercial area of Court Street entirely,” Gene Armes, spokesman for the Athens Uptown Business Association, said.
In previous years, the route traveled east on Union Street before turning onto Court.
This year, due to continued construction on Union Street after last November’s fire, the route is slated to merge onto Court Street from President Street, a block south from previous years’ routes. The parade is slated for Oct. 10.
Members of the Athens Uptown Business Association claim the proposed route will discourage visitors from venturing farther north on Court Street and patronizing uptown businesses.
“The Homecoming weekend is our busiest event weekend of the Fall Semester, so any time you take the crowds away from that area you affect all of the uptown businesses,” Armes said.
This isn’t the first time the Court Street portion of the parade has been shortened.
Prior to 2012, the parade started at the north end of Court Street near the armory and ended at Baker Center.
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But the actions of some of the spectators led university and city officials to alter that route, Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl said.
“There was some drunken disorderly (conduct) on the bars of Court Street,” Armes said. “There were some inappropriate chants and that led to a decision to move the parade to its current route.”
The proposed route still has not been approved, since the parade permit application has not been fully processed by Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle’s office.
But Wiehl said he did not know of any plans to change the proposed route.
“To my knowledge it’s pretty much a done deal,” Wiehl said. “I don’t think there’s any possibility of it changing.”
Armes said the Uptown Business Association is “at the mercy of” city council and the university.
The association has proposed its own route to be considered in future years that would bypass both Union Street and the uptown bars.
That route would start at the armory before turning onto State Street, College Street and finally back onto Court, Armes said.
Wiehl said he thought any effects of the route change were negligible.
“(During the parade) most people will be standing around,” he said. “When the parade ends, people disperse anyway and they can go Uptown."
But Armes said the changes affect more people than just business owners.
“Court Street is so important and such a large part of everyone’s college experience that goes to OU,” Armes said. “Being an OU student and being on Court Street are one and the same. The alumni have a strong desire to be on Court Street.”
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