NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The 65th annual Fall Foliage Parade will march down Main Street this October.

 

In a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon, the North Adams Office of Tourism announced "it's official. We're having a parade!"

 

The city's biggest event will step off Sunday, Oct. 3. Organizers are seeking a theme for this year's parade and asking area residents for some ideas. Submit your theme to 1Berkshire here or use the form to sign up for the parade. 

 

The parade was canceled last year along with a host of other events, including the city's 125th anniversary, because of the novel coronavirus. With vaccines widely available and the pandemic appearing to be winding down (at least in this corner of the country), parade organizers that include 1Berkshire have been discussing the possibility of holding the popular event. 

 

Last year marked only the second time the Fall Foliage Parade had been canceled since its inception in 1955, when the theme was "Festival of Music." The last time was in 1987 because of the freak snowstorm, dubbed the October 4 Storm, that covered the region with up to a foot of snow. 

 

The parade isn't the only event returning this summer: concerts have resumed at Windsor Lake on Wednesdays and at Joe Wolfe Field on Thursdays, National Night Out is Aug. 3, a Motorama "cruise-in" will be held Aug. 6 from 4 to 8, and  Downtown Celebration will be held on Aug. 18. Motorama will return in full for Aug. 28, 2022. 

 

The city is also hosting two performances at River Grove Park by Jacob's Pillow — Aug. 1 at 1 p.m. with the Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective and Aug. 7 at 5 p.m. featuring Kulu Mele African Dance & Drum Ensemble.

 

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art has also resumed performances and plans to hold the annual Freshgrass Festival on Sept. 24-26.