Fee Dispute Settled, Duluth’s Memorial Day Parade Will Happen This Year

DULUTH, Minn. — The Memorial Day parade will stay in Duluth this year after a fee disagreement was settled.

The organizers and veterans behind the parade said the city quoted them a price to put on the event at around $4,000, which included services like having police there for security.

The parade has been held in the city since the 1870s, and then in 2008, the organizers and Duluth officials had a “handshake agreement” that the fee would be $400 moving forward.

The problem was, it was never put into writing, and the city re-assessed the situation this year to get the cost off the books.

City councilor Janet Kennedy and council president Arik Forsman met with the veterans and organizers on Friday, and came to a new agreement.

The parade will happen in Duluth this May, with organizers paying $400.

On March 28th, city councilors will put forth a resolution to create a standard fee schedule for events, and update that document to keep the Memorial Day parade at the “handshake agreement cost.”