The grand parade at Strawberry Festival, ac-cording to many, is the highlight of the weekend’s festivities. The Chamber of Commerce staff, board of directors and some very dedicated volunteers work very hard at making that event something everyone can look forward to. In response to the letter to the editor (“No need to rush the parade,” Aug. 3), we would like everyone to know that our first priority is the safety of our parade participants, parade viewers and the community as a whole.

J.R. Crawford has been our amazing parade coordinator for many years and has struggled to keep the pace of the parade to where there are no gaps between entrants; it’s a difficult job at best. Once there is a gap, people think the parade is over and tend to wander out into the street. This can be very dangerous, and we simply don’t want anyone to be hurt. Antique tractors can’t stop on a dime if a small child runs in front of them.

It may seem as if we are trying to hurry the parade along, but we are simply trying to keep large gaps from appearing. Volunteers are a necessary and integral part of the grand parade, and we encourage anyone interested in helping to keep those gaps from appearing or keeping people from wandering into those gaps if they do occur to contact the Chamber. Grab an orange vest and help us keep the grand parade as safe and enjoyable as possible.

— Debi Richards, Vashon Chamber of Commerce