The fee to be in the Hillyard Parade this year is $20 - that's up from $5 last year. This spurred some discussion this morning, mostly focusing on what to do for children who can't afford to pay $20 to be in the neighborhood parade.
One suggestion is for merchants to pay part of the parade fee for low-income families; another suggestion is to simply not charge kids on bikes and with waggons.
The festival committee decided to raise entry fees because this is the centennial parade and the festival is expected to draw a much larger crowd (and parade) than other years.
Costs associated with porta potties and insurance are higher this year, too.
The Festival Committee has yet to make the final decision on the parade fees.

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