Replies

Response I received from the Parade of Lights President 12/14/04:

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns about the Parade of Lights. Downtown Denver is a place for people of all faiths and we regret any misperceptions that we don't welcome Christians or people celebrating Christmas. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, downtown Denver is home to nine of churches of many denominations representing congregations of thousands of worshippers. We sincerely apologize to any who were offended or confused by what they heard or read about the Parade of Lights or the Downtown Denver Partnership. This holiday season, we encourage visitors to come downtown to worship at one of these churches and celebrate this spiritual time. Our long-standing goal has been not to make any one particular group feel excluded from the Parade. In retrospect, our attempt to do the right thing ended up making some people feel excluded. Because this is a time when many people are celebrating religious events, including Christmas and Hanukkah, we have begun the process to determine how to honor the religious significance of the holidays in the Parade. We will announce any changes once our community leaders have reached a conclusion in the near future. The Downtown Denver Partnership's mission is to promote downtown Denver as a clean, safe and vibrant place for everyone including residents, employees, and visitors. We work to make downtown a great place to live, work, shop, play and worship. The Parade of Lights is one way we try to make downtown Denver an inviting place to visit during December and bring the community together. Again, thank you for taking time to write to share your concerns. By sharing ideas and opinions, we can continue to make Downtown Denver a vibrant place where everyone feels welcome. Best regards, Jim Basey President/CEO

Merry Christmas!