Parade route re-opened through the City of Dierks

Dierks officials were notified Monday by Arkansas Department of Transportation employees that the city would no longer be able to host parades on Main Street. Mayor Ronnie Cobgurn said the reason behind ARDOT’s decision, is because, Highway 70 is the only major way for traffic to flow through Dierks. Cogburn said he spoke with an ARDOT engineer who said the city would need a permit in order to hold future parades, but that state permit would not be issued without an alternate route available to traffic.
Cogburn told council members assembled for Monday’s September council meeting, that he couldn’t understand the state’s decision, since the Pine Tree Festival parade has taken place 49 years.
Tuesday morning, Mayor Cogburn reached out to Dierks area State Representative DeAnn Vaught for assistance. In addition to the Pine Tree Festival parade, the mayor told Representative Vaught that ARDOT’s decision also meant the school’s homecoming parade and the annual Christmas parade, sponsored by the Dierks Chamber of Commerce, would not be allowed because the city has no other routes for traffic to take that wouldn’t result in utility lines being knocked down.
Within a few hours of contacting Vaught yesterday, Mayor Cogburn said ARDOT engineers reached back out to him, with the news that the Dierks parades will be allowed.