Actions

COLUMN: WCPO Editor Mike Canan wonders if the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade will be the same

COLUMN: WCPO Editor Mike Canan wonders if the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade will be the same
Posted at 4:54 PM, Oct 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-25 16:54:49-04

I’m afraid the magic will be gone.

I’ll start by saying that I’ve only been to three Findlay Market Opening Day Parades. I’m not a veteran parade-goer or longtime Cincinnati resident. I don’t speak for everyone.

But I’ve loved the Reds for nearly 30 years. And attending the parade the last three years with my family has made for truly some of the best days we have had in the time we have lived here.

Now, decisions by Major League Baseball, the MLB Player’s Union and the merchants at Findlay Market have resulted in a change. And I don’t think it is for the better.

The union wanted more days off during the season. To make that happen, baseball officials moved Opening Day up. It’s now on Thursday, March 29 for 2018.

That’s Holy Thursday – the Thursday before Easter. Findlay Market merchants worried that the holiday combined with having the parade on a busy Thursday would hurt the vendors.

I get it. They are small business owners.

But that doesn’t make the decision any less disappointing.

For me, and I’m sure many others, the parade and festivities Downtown and in Over-the-Rhine were a celebration of new growth. Baseball is back!

It feels off and superfluous to celebrate four days later.

It’s like when you celebrate Christmas with your grandma on Dec. 29. It’s still enjoyable. But it’s not magical like Christmas morning.

Then consider: If you are going to the game and thinking of going to the parade, you might now be looking at taking two days off work or school.

As much as I love the parade, I’m afraid it won’t be the same. I honestly don’t know if my family will attend.

And that’s sad. Because the Opening Day Parade was such a special piece of Cincinnati and baseball.

Mike Canan is editor of WCPO.com. Contact him at mike.canan@wcpo.com. Follow him on Twitter or Instagram at @Mike_Canan.