The parade in downtown Wheeling is coming back, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) even know the date.
November 19. Up Market and 10th Streets. Down Main Street. Bands, floats, a grand marshal yet to be named, and jolly ol’ St. Nick. And the parade will be broadcast on WTOV TV9. Each parade entry will be highlighted from a broadcast area near 16th Street, and it’s during those minutes that are most concerning to Wheeling Chamber of Commerce President Erikka Storch.
“The parade will return to downtown Wheeling next month, and we are going to do everything in our power to make it as safe as it can be,” she explained. “I have had many conversations with a lot of band directors, and I will have more conversations between now and Nov. 19 because everyone just wants to go about this the right way. During the pandemic, we learned a lot about the technology that we have now.
“Plus, our television sponsor, WTOV, has been contacted by their legal people to make sure the bands have purchased the rights to the music they wish to perform on the air,” Storch said. “I don’t know a lot of how those rights are protected, and that is why we are communicating to the band directors and dance teams as much as we can this early in hopes that will have to adjust if they must.”
BMI and ASCAP are two companies that monitor social media platforms, podcast networks, and radio stations for infringing the use of licensed music. If a fee is paid to the enforcing agencies, use of the music is permitted, but if not, fines are threatened if the use does not cease immediately.
“But this situation only impacts their broadcast time on TV,” Storch said. “So, that is why the band directors and dance teams will have to abide by these rules and adapt because the parade broadcast will be monitored by BMI and other companies. If a band or dance company is not able to perform a public domain song during that time, we will have to cut to an interview or something else instead of having the performance on TV.
“The rights and when a song is allowed to be performed is all very detailed, so that is why we are being as careful as we can be so there are no violations during the parade,” she continued. “There is a difference between an educational setting and a commercial setting, and, of course, the parade is commercial, and many rules therefore apply.”
And There Is the Virus
The city’s Christmas parade attracts thousands each year because the entries are not limited to entities in Wheeling or Ohio County. That is why residents of seven different counties in two states line the streets of the downtown.
In the past week, though, 132 new positive Covid cases – including 15 involving children between the ages of 5-11 years old – have been reported to the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department during the past seven days, and the Marshall County Health Department recorded 101 new positives during the same time span.
The rate of infection has diminished over the last two weeks, but currently, there are 10,561 active coronavirus cases in West Virginia and nearly 4,000 residents have succumbed to associated death since the pandemic began in March 2020, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Resources.
That is why precaution, Storch insisted, remains the name of the game.
“We are speaking with the people who will have floats about distancing the people on them, and now that distance is recommended to be three feet instead of six feet,” Storch said. “We also plan to stretch out the bands a little more than usual for the same reasons to minimize the risk of exposure to the virus. The last thing we want to see this year is a float free-for-all when too many people crowded on them.
“The parade in Wheeling, from what I understand, will be the only one that is televised by WTOV instead of the four they usually do, and that’s because of the pandemic and because of the issue with performance rights,” she explained. “I just hope everyone with the bands and the dance teams knows that we are not trying to regulate what they do during the parade. We’re just trying to keep everyone out of trouble for the songs they select during their broadcast times. Once they get beyond 16th Street, they can perform anything they wish to perform.”
A Silent Night, All Right
The Main Street Bank Fantasy of Lights Parade was scheduled for Nov. (15), but seven days before Storch and the Chamber of Commerce released a cancelation statement because of guidance received from the health department and the state of West Virginia.
“That was a horrible day,” she recalled. “I cried a lot that day.”
Several communities in the Upper Ohio Valley compensated for the loss of the event, including Wheeling Council member Dave Palmer. The Ward Six representative orchestrated a parade along several Elm Grove streets one December evening to the delight of children and parents.
“I know how much people missed the parade last year because I missed it, and when I think about it, I tear up,” Storch said. “The worst part was that we canceled it the week before, and that was tough, but we had to do what we had to do at that time. We held out as long as we could and did everything we could think of so we could have the parade, but then we were advised that canceling it was the best thing we could do for everyone involved.
“I remember it was when the number of positive cases started to climb again, and that’s why the decision was made to cancel it, so I believe everyone involved with it is looking forward to it this year,” she added. “I believe it will be a wonderful evening in downtown Wheeling.”
