There will be no Christmas parade in McKenzie this year.

The parade was set for Dec. 4, but due to a lack of interest, the parade has been cancelled.

&uot;We have had a parade for as long as I can remember,&uot; said Tina Brooks, McKenzie Town Clerk.

&uot;There has only been one call about having a float and the sheriff’s auxiliary, but that’s it.&uot;

Mayor Betty Stinson made the decision to cancel the parade.

&uot;We just haven’t had any response,&uot; she said.

&uot;The churches that normally have floats in the parade have normally let us know before now and here we are a week out and we’ve had one entry.&uot;

Stinson blames Hurricane Ivan for the lack of participation and a gaggle of other activities.

&uot;All this with the storm and the stuff following it and with so much going on with different activities, I guess people either don’t have the money or are too busy with other things,&uot; she said.

&uot;The Georgiana band didn’t call us back and they always participate.&uot;

She said normally, they have a good parade in McKenzie, but 2004 things are different.

&uot;I don’t know what happened this year,&uot; she said.

When asked if a sudden burst of interest might bring it back, she said it would depend on how many participants, but that it takes time to plan these things. ‘

&uot;We have to time to prepare and to get people to help,&uot; she said. &uot;We don’t have that this year and that’s all I know to do is to cancel it completely this year.

Hopefully, we won’t have another Ivan next year.&uot;

As for the city of Georgiana, plans continue for its annual Christmas parade that is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4.

That’s the word from parade organizer Mike Middleton.

&uot;Right now we have several participants scheduled to be in it,&uot; he said.

The parade traditionally begins at Georgiana High School and travels through town.

To participate in the parade call Middleton at Johnson’s Funeral Home at 376-2500 or Harry Poole at Peoples’ Bank & Trust at 376-2273.