Community: City of Huntington Woods
Population: 2,500-9,999
July 4th is a very special time in Huntington Woods. It is a time when neighbors come together and celebrate our City, our independence and generally we have a really good time. Unfortunately, the world had different plans for us this year and we were forced to stay indoors and/or in small groups and our normal gathering in the streets and parks to celebrate could not happen. The Huntington Woods Parks & Recreation Department is fueled by fun and getting people together, and we were not going to let a little pandemic get in our way! We explored many scenarios for the parade, but it became more and more apparent that gathering was not in our best interest and just shouldn’t happen.
Rather than give in, a resident and video editor, Judy Olds and I crafted a virtual parade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFxjbQL13Hs&feature=youtu.be .
Replicability:
We put out a call for submissions of “parade clips”. Basically, act like you’re in a parade and send it in. We received quite a few, and they were FANTASTIC. Then we got more. Then we solicited a few more and before you knew it, we had a whole bunch of videos. I took additional video and we solicited submissions from Governor Gretchen Whitmer, WDIV News Anchor Devin Scillian, elected officials, our outstanding Fruit Camp and more! Judy then worked her magic. So, if you have someone to do the work, (it turns into quite a labor of love) you could replicate! It is SO GREAT and it’s going to be piece of Huntington Woods history for sure!
Creativity and Originality:
On July 4th, we debuted the 2020 Huntington Woods Virtual July 4th Parade. It’s amazing, and I should know, I’ve watched it at least 4 dozen times! I had never heard of one. I have since found a couple on YouTube, and I may (AM DEFINITELY) biased, I think ours is the best! And coincidence? You tell me - Gretchen Whitmer did a cameo for our parade and now she's on the President's Inaugural Committee and They are doing a virtual parade?? Seems a bit fishy, but hey, imitation is the highest form of flattery!
Community Impact:
We had it set to air for the first time at our usual parade time, July 4th at 10:00 am. Neighbors had socially-distanced “watch parties” and I heard many times, people almost forgot they weren’t watching an actual parade. It aired on our cable channel, our YouTube channel and on our Facebook pages. At parade time, nearly 300 people were watching its debut on cable alone. Everyone loved seeing their friends and neighbors come across the screen. It was so rewarding and has been viewed what equates to more than one time per Huntington Woods household.
Because Judy donated her time and talents to assemble the videos and we saved what we usually may have spent on parade features (as much as $4000), we were able to offer this at no cost to our community.
It was a wonderful way to keep our community together in a truly turbulent time.
