Sweet victory: Council overturns ban on candy at Sioux Falls parades

Sioux Falls celebrations could be a little sweeter after a Tuesday vote repealed a ban on handing out candy at parades.

The ban had been in place since 1984, when the executive vice president of the Sioux Falls Safety Council wrote to the city commission, saying children had nearly been injured by floats as they ran into the street looking for candy.

It apparently wasn't getting the job done, because the Sioux Falls Police Department asked the Sioux Falls City Council to strengthen the ban in 1996, which added the threat of a $200 fine or 30 days in jail for "thedistribution of any candy or balloons" to parade attendees.

The ordinance that passed 8-0 Tuesday, sponsored by Councilor Sarah Cole, removed the prohibition wholesale, allowing individual parade organizers to determine whether to distribute candy, and how to do so.

Shawn Cleary, the longtime chair of the Sioux Falls St. Patrick's Day Parade, said during the meeting that while he supported allowing candy at parades — noting the ban had long been ignored by many, including some politicians — he'd like to see the city's parade organizers sit down together and go over some ground rules for distributing it safely, perhaps by handing candy directly to children instead of throwing it.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Council overturns ban on candy at Sioux Falls parades