To the editor:

Deck the carriages with signs of sponsorship :

The Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade was a delight as always. There was a wonderful turnout and it was great to see everyone having a good time. The horses were stunning, the riders were fun and merry, and the variety of carriages and wagons were beautiful and interesting.

I understand that it is expensive for these folks to ferry themselves to various parades and that sponsorship helps them. I am not opposed to the sponsorship, but I must say I felt discouraged to see signs of who sponsored who marring the beauty of these antique and historic vehicles. I found myself asking the question, “Would the sponsors still have sponsored if there were no signs to tell us who they were?”

I appreciate and thank the businesses who helped bring this parade to Lawrence. It is an indication of being a friend to the community, which is vital to the health of any community. However, it would be nice if it could be done quietly because it is a good thing to do and not have the expectation of public attention to themselves – or perhaps be listed in the newspaper in the ad identifying the parade participants.

The holiday season is already so rife with commercialism. It would have been nice to have seen the carriages, horses and wagons signless (in terms of advertising sponsors) and in their natural beauty. I would hate to think that sponsors would drop out for lack of public attention.

Catherine Bolton,

Lawrence