Erath Fourth of July parade route changes

ERATH — The Erath Fourth of July Celebration Parade will take an alternate route this year, as announced by the Fourth of July Committee. 
Earlier this week, the committee faced a decision just days before the celebration was to begin. They received an update from Jason Connor, a project manager of Glenn Lege Construction, who is overseeing the resurfacing of Broadway Street. 
Five weeks ago, the construction company began removing the concrete and asphalt from a half-mile stretch of Broadway Street near the Erath High football stadium. This work extended from the curve leaving town near the stadium up to Bobcat Alley in front of the high school’s main office.
Ideally, if the weather had been more cooperative, the construction company would have poured a layer of soil cement over the scraped road in time for the parade. Unfortunately, due to the rain over the past two weeks, the project is behind schedule, meaning the soil cement will be poured not in time of the parade.
This past Wednesday, Connor informed Fourth of July Committee President Leslie Mencacci that Broadway Street will not be ready in time for the parade.
The committee members had already mapped out an second route days just in case the road was not ready.
The parade is still scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

New Parade Route

The parade will leave from the city park and turn onto Gin Street, which runs into Lastie Street (old Hwy. 14). The parade will turn right on Lastie Street and travel to Kibbie Street, where it will take a left and travel along side of Champagne’s Grocery Store.
It will travel south on Kibbie Street until it intersects with LeBlanc Street (alongside Erath Middle School), where it will turn left and then take another left onto Broadway Street.
Once on Broadway Street, the parade will travel north and end right before it reaches downtown, next to the Erath Museum.