NORTHAMPTON — The Florence Holiday Parade will returns again this year on Saturday, kicking off the Christmas season in Northampton.

Beginning at Trinity Park at 10 a.m., the parade travels through Florence before ending at the Florence Civic Center. The parade, in its 35th year, has become a well-celebrated event in the Northampton village as marking the start of the Christmas season.

“It’s a fun outreach for the community,” said Kurt Brazeau, the president of the Florence Civic & Business Association, which organizes the event. “It’s become a big tradition for Florence.”

Among the marchers in the parade this year are the Florence VFW honor guard, the Florence Community Band, members of the Lions and Elks clubs and the Caledonian Pipe Band of Holyoke. And of course, there will be a Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The parade is one of two holiday parades the association puts on during the month of December. The other parade, the Lighted Tractor Parade, is scheduled to take place on Dec. 28.

Sciarra receives honor

The Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-MA) announced that it has named Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra as the 2024 Elected Official of the Year.

The APA-MPA is an urban planning association with over 1,000 members whose goal is to “enhance and support planning in Massachusetts through education, advocacy, outreach, communication, and provision of services,” according to its website.

The city, in announcing the award, cited the creation of the Department of Climate Action and Project Administration, support for the Community Resilience Hub and the upcoming Picture Main Street project as reasons behind the award.

“This award reflects the collective efforts of our community, whose active participation and feedback have been invaluable in shaping our city’s future,” said Sciarra in a statement. “Thoughtful, inclusive planning is essential to Northampton’s success, and I am proud of our work to create a strong future for our city.”

Sciarra also credited collaboration with Planning & Sustainability Director Carolyn Misch, as well as support from state and federal partners in helping bring such projects to fruition.

“When all levels of government work together to achieve shared goals the results can be amazing,” Sciarra said.

City gets high marks for equality, inclusivity

For the seventh year in a row, the city of Northampton has obtained a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, indicating a high level of inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community in the city.

The city is one of 131 cities to obtain a perfect score on this year’s index, joining other cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Other cities in Massachusetts to receive a perfect score include Boston, Cambridge and Salem.

“I am honored to work in and contribute to a city that is dedicated to equality and inclusivity,” said Sydney Fahey, Northampton’s Executive Office LGBTQ+ liaison, in a statement. “This score truly reflects the dedication and commitment of all city staff and officials to upholding these principles in everything they do.”

The index assesses each city on 49 criteria covering citywide nondiscrimination protections, policies for municipal employees, city services, law enforcement, and city leadership’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. Since the MEI’s debut in 2012, the number of cities earning perfect scores has increased more than sevenfold.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.