The Mathews County Christmas Parade, which was scheduled for Dec. 12, has since been canceled for this year because of COVID-19 concerns.

Parade chair Lynda Smith Greve said she and the other two members of her committee had been making plans for the parade, since over 30 organizations and individuals who participated in the parade last year had expressed an interest in doing it again this year, while only six of those she contacted gave their regrets.

In order to create as safe an environment as possible, Greve said plans were to create a longer route to give people more room to spread out and to arrange for parking areas so people could watch from their own vehicles. She said she had been prepared to cancel the event if virus numbers continued to rise or participation fell dramatically.

The Mathews County Visitor and Information Center, which hosts the event, approved her proposal, said Greve, but the Mathews County Board of Supervisors expressed some concern over how she w...