Reader's view: Tall Ships Festival needs a parade to entertain crowd

The Tall Ships Festival sold tickets at an unprecedented level this summer - some 325,000 of them. What those tickets brought for many people were hours-long waits in cramped areas, causing many visitors to leave before getting to board one ship. Take a look at the Tall Ships Duluth Facebook page comments. The frustration is real.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to have visitors and local residents view a variety ships, ride on a variety of ships and make their own ships?
How about including a maritime history parade as part of the Tall Ships Festival, especially if it’s not in the already clogged downtown-Duluth area? It could start at the Wheeler Athletic Complex, proceed on West Third Street, turn on North 27th Avenue West and return to Wade Stadium along Superior Street, an approximately 2-mile route that would allow for much less cramped viewing of a variety of historical scale model and creative entries.
Funding for the parade could come from sponsors eager to get their message out to the already large crowds that come to the area. Float-making would encourage residents and visitors to actively participate in the festival, show their great maritime pride, and exercise their engineering skills and creativity.
Instead of making the Tall Ships Festival more exclusive, let’s expand upon this massive draw to the area in a way that encourages participation and may just put you on display in a tall ship of your own.
Barbara Patten
Duluth