The good news is the 122nd Glenside 4th of July parade and the East Cheltenham 4th of July parade are still a go.

According to Jamey Piggot, Greater Glenside Patriotic Association president (pictured on the right below), the Abington and Cheltenham police departments have evaluated the parade’s safety concerns and intend to allow all scheduled events at this time.

“We are aware of what other communities are doing and there are no plans to cancel at this time,” Piggot told Glenside Local. “Safety is always our primary concern.”

Rumors of a potential cancellation partially stem from similar cancellations around the country, including a recent decision by the Whitemarsh Township Board of Supervisors to cancel their annual 4th of July Parade due to safety concerns.

East Cheltenham Parade’s Facebook page posted the following on Tuesday, May 13:

Cheltenham Township is in talks about shortening or even canceling your East Cheltenham 4th of July Parade this year due to “security concerns” based off of the past attacks in New Orleans and Vancouver.

Please voice your opinions loudly to the township before it’s too late. It would be a shame if this decade old tradition of celebrating American bravery that created this great country was stifled by a few people living in fear.

Cheltenham Police and Emergency Management said in a statement today that Cheltenham Township has proposed an abbreviated route with 31 points of closure, 18 fewer than the original route.

The full statement, provided to Glenside Local by Lauren Walter, Cheltenham Township’s public information officer, is below:

Township Commissioners, Administration, Emergency Management (EMA), Police, and Public Works have recently reevaluated security for ALL public events held within the Township due to repeated tragic incidents of vehicle encroachment/attack on public events/festivals around the country.  Following industry-standard best practices, Police and EMA no longer support using unstaffed barricades to control traffic, because they offer no added security and often motorists simply drive around them.  The Township now requires staffed Police and/or Public Works vehicles at each of these locations to limit possible encroachment.

The original route of the East Cheltenham Parade required 49 points of traffic control, which is not sustainable under the new protocol.  Therefore, the Township proposed  a shortened route to event organizers which requires only 31 points of closure, more manageable from a staffing perspective.  While much of the established route remains unaffected, we understand change is met with mixed emotion, but we are committed to providing safe and enjoyable events for members of our community.

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