It looks like this will be Franklin’s second straight year without a Christmas parade. That’s unfortunate, given the turmoil the community has experienced over the past year. A good old-fashioned parade could be just what the community needs to lift spirits for the holiday season.

The GFWC Franklin Junior Woman’s Club, citing declining membership, ended its sponsorship of the parade in 2008. The club did its duty and provided a great community event for eight years, but since then, another civic group has yet to step up and continue the event.

With communities like Carrsville, Boykins and Ivor planning Christmas parades, we find it hard to believe that Franklin — a metropolis by comparison — doesn’t have a civic organization willing to spearhead the event.

Many look to the Downtown Franklin Association, which takes the lead in most downtown events. But the parade, Executive Director Dan Howe said, is too big of an undertaking for the association alone.

To its credit, the DFA has worked with groups in the past to organize the event and is willing to do so again, Howe told The Tidewater News. It’s time for someone to step up to the plate.