This time of year, the phones usually ring constantly at the Edison Festival of Light office in downtown Fort Myers. And everyone has a question about the annual parades.
Is the parade route the same?
How many floats will there be this year?
Where’s the best place to park?
But that’s not happening this year. Instead, the phones are quiet at the Edison Fest office. Or, at least, a lot quieter than usual.
The reason: Both parades have been canceled, thanks to the pandemic.
More:Edison Fest parade, Junior Parade canceled in Fort Myers
It’s a little weird, admits longtime volunteer Diane Maddox, who usually answers a lot of those phone calls. The February festival has been a part of her life since 1946, when her mom dressed her up as “The Goddess of the Moon” in the annual Edison Festival of LightJunior Parade — then known as the Baby Parade.
“We’re all missing it,” Maddox says. “This is a big deal for me. I’ve been doing it for so long.”
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In December, organizers canceled the kid-focused Junior Parade and the bigger Edison Festival of Light Grand Parade. And theEdison Pageant of Light — the annual tradition that crowns the kingandqueenof the "Royal Court of Edisonia" before they appear on a parade float—postponed its coronation ball until May 22.
Other events are still happening this weekend, though, including the Mutt Strutt dog parade,a virtual concert from the Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingersand the popular Food Trucks and Craft Beer Festival.
“We thought canceling the parades was bad enough,” says Edison Fest board president Steve Sizemore. “This is all in tribute to Thomas Edison and his works and everything that he stood for. We still wanted to honor his legacy. We still wanted to keep some of that tradition alive in the city.”
The Grand Parade usually caps a month’s worth of activities celebrating Edison, Fort Myers’ most famous winter resident. The February parade draws an estimated 200,000 people to downtown Fort Myers every year, making it the biggest event in Southwest Florida.
This is the first time it’s been canceled since World War II.
It wasn’t an easy decision to call off the parades, Sizemore admits.“Obviously, it’s something that none of us wanted to do. It’s a longstanding tradition that’s stood the test of time.”
Organizers started thinking about canceling the parades in summer 2020, but they'dhoped COVID numbers would improve in Southwest Florida. Then other major U.S. parades decided to cancel, postpone or go virtual, including the Rose Parade, the Macy’s Day Parade and New Orleans’ Mardis Gras parades.And COVID numbers started rising again in Southwest Florida in November and December.
“We certainly wanted to keep the public’s health and safety in mind,” Sizemore says. “We said, ‘You know what? It’s probably not the most responsible thing to do right now.”
The Edison Fest parades attract spectators from all over Southwest Florida, and those people are usually packed two to six rows deep along the parade route on U.S. 41 and through downtown Fort Myers. So social distancing would be difficult, Sizemore says.
Then there are all those marching bands, floats and civic groups participating in the parade. Some had already told fest organizers they wouldn’t be taking part this year, Sizemore says, butit would be hard to socially distance thegroups thatwere still coming.
So organizers decided to focus on the festival’s other, smaller events — where people can spread out more. Most of those are concentrated this weekend in downtown Fort Myers.
It’s easier to encourage social distancing at these outdoor events, Sizemore says, and there will be lots of hand sanitizer stations and signs asking people to social distance and wear masks.Plus all volunteers will be required to wear masks.
Both Maddox and Sizemore hope this is just a temporary blip in the festival’s83-year history, and that the parades are able to return in 2022.
Maddox, 80, can't imagine her life without those parades. “It’s part of the life I live,” she says. “I have wonderful, wonderful memories.”
The festival is an important tradition in Southwest Florida, shesays, and it draws people from all over to see the floats, marching bands and other sights. She wants to see that traditioncontinue.
“It brings Fort Myers together,” shesays.
Here’s acloser look at all the Edison Fest events happening this weekend and laterin Southwest Florida:
Crafts on the River:Exhibitors display and sell handmade crafts during this non-juried event by the Caloosahatchee River. Items include jewelry, photography, paintings, sculptures and more. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, February 20-21. Free. The corner of Hendry and Main streetsin downtown Fort Myers.
Mutt Strutt:The costumed dog parade and talent show returns. Noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, February 20.Free. Hendry Street in downtown Fort Myers.
Food Trucks & Craft Beer Festival:This event features live entertainment, craft beer from four local breweries and five food trucks. 2-8 p.m. Saturday,February 20-21. Free. The corner of Edwards Drive and Hendry Street in downtown Fort Myers.
Edison FestivalJuniorFun Run:This kids run is open to children in grades 5 and below. Run lengths range from 50 to 75 yards to 1 mile. 4 p.m. Saturday,February 20.$5entry fee includes T-shirt and ribbon. Online registration ends at midnight Friday (no race day registration this year). Race starts at Campo Felice, 2500 Edwards Drive,downtown Fort Myers.
Edison Festival of Light 5K:This 3.1-mile race travels through downtown Fort Myers. 5:30 p.m. Saturday, February 20. Entry fee is $35. Online registration ends at midnight Friday (no race day registration this year). Race starts at Campo Felice, 2500 Edwards Drive,downtown Fort Myers.
“Sing-O Bingo”: The Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers perform a virtual “choral bingo concert” that combines music with a live bingo game. The concert program includes Mozart’s “Te Deum,” Jake Runestad’s “Your Soul is Song” and “God Bless the Young Folk” (with words by W.E.B. Du Bois and music by Carol Barnett). 4:30 p.m. Sunday, February 21. Free. The concert will be performed on Facebook and YouTube. mastersingersfm.com
STEMtastic Day of Discovery:The award-winning showcase of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) exhibits goes virtual this year. During the pre-recorded event, students from 10 Lee County schools will do hands-on interactive experiments, either in classrooms or at home with their families.Tuesday, April 6. Timeto be announced. leeschoolfoundation.org
Edison Pageant of Light coronation ball: Annual celebration where next year’s Royal Court of Edisonia gets crowned. 6 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at The Westin Cape Coral Resort, Cape Coral.edisonpageant.com
For more information about the festival, call 334-2999 or visitedisonfestival.org.
Connect with this reporter:Email crunnells@gannett.com or connect on social media at Charles Runnells (Facebook),@charlesrunnells (Twitter) and@crunnells1 (Instagram).