Carmel's endearing, annoying parade tradition
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Mary Mulkey, left, and John Hodgin reserve space in front of Kroger on Rangeline Road to watch the CarmelFest Parade on Tuesday. Photo: James Briggs/Axios
It's crunch time in America's greatest surveyor competition.
The big picture: Anyone who hasn't marked territory along coveted Carmel Drive by today could be relegated to the nether regions off of Rangeline Road for Tuesday's CarmelFest Parade — an amateur move in a city of professional land speculators.
Why it matters: Parade seat-saving — days, if not weeks, ahead of time — is one of Carmel's most storied and endearing, or annoying, traditions depending on who you ask.
- That means bringing chairs, caution tape, flags, tables — basically anything that can be used for demarcating a mini-homestead on public land.
State of play: Although the most dedicated seat-savers went out days ago, prime spots remain available along the parade route — at least today.
- "I'd say by the weekend, even by Sunday, there's probably not going to be anything available," Mary Mulkey, 74, told Axios on Thursday as she used chairs, flags and tape to reserve space for up to 30 friends and family members in front of the Kroger on Rangeline Road.
Flashback: Carmel City Council member Jeff Worrell has proposed restrictions on seat-saving, including limiting the practice to 48 hours in advance and banning stakes and ropes — but the idea hasn't gone anywhere.
💭 James' thought bubble: You can't stop Carmelites from letting their chic flags fly.
Details: The CarmelFest Parade starts at 10:30am Tuesday, going north on AAA Way, turning west on Carmel Drive, north on Rangeline Road and concluding on Main Street downtown.
Of note: CarmelFest also includes live music on two stages, a talent competition and fireworks starting at 9:45pm.
What they're saying: "This is part of what makes Carmel great — we have such enthusiasm from our residents for community events," Adam Aasen, who sits on the Carmel City Council and CarmelFest Committee, told Axios. "When you see the chairs go up early, you can't buy better advertising than that."