The St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee is requesting that it serve as the sole vendor at this year’s parade, scheduled for March 12.
In a Jan. 2 letter to the Newport City Council, parade chairman Dennis Sullivan said outside vendors have caused issues in the past.
“They sold items that they were not supposed to sell, and they interrupted the flow of the parade,” he wrote.
Sullivan wants all the vending permits to set up “two to four vendors with runners,” subcontracting the work out to vendors that have been in contact with the committee during planning of the parade.
“We feel that we could control them better by limiting them to two and by controlling the permits ourselves,” he said. “The vendors, in turn, refund us for the permit fees, which will make for a substantial donation, which, in the past, has been given … to the local participating school bands.”
Three years ago, the committee controlled vending, subcontracting out to just two vendors.
“We donated the money to local school groups that participated,” Sullivan said. “The committee did not keep any of the money. This arrangement has worked out well over the past 16 years.”
The council met on Jan. 12, after press time. Their decision will be reported in next week’s edition.
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