Permit For Annual Halloween Parade In Mountain Brook Rejected

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — What has become a recent traditional on Halloween in Mountain Brook will not happen this year, as the City of Mountain Brook has rejected a parade permit for the annual Mystics Parade held in Crestline each Halloween.

Mayor Stewart Welch said three factors played into the decision to reject the permit, which was presented to his office in mid-September:

1. Rates of new COVID-19 cases per population over the past two weeks have been higher for the Mountain Brook area than average for Jefferson County.
2. Over-the-Mountain cities of Hoover, Vestavia and Homewood are not allowing events of this nature as a precaution against spreading COVID-19, and holding the event may attract visitors from surrounding municipalities creating a larger-than-expected crowd, making social distancing impossible.
3. At a time when our school administrators are diligently working towards returning students to school at one hundred percent capacity, the mayor does want to do anything that places this goal at risk.

"This is a decision that was not made lightly and I truly hoped that we could host this popular event this year but, out of an abundance of caution, I believe this to be in the best interest of our community," Welch said.

Gov. Kay Ivey extended the statewide mandatory face covering order Wednesday, pushing back the order's expiration into November.

Ivey said she feels the mask order is working to decrease the spread of COVID-19 in the state, and cited that Alabama did not see a spike in new cases after Labor Day, the way the state did after the 4th of July. "The fact is, our mask order is working, and the numbers speak for themselves," Ivey said.

"For those who want to see the masks go away, I am asking you to please be patient. I am as tired of these masks as anybody, believe me," Ivey said. "As much as we would like to get back to normal, I would hate to go back too quickly and negate the progress we have made."