NC city becomes butt of jokes over its penis-shaped Christmas parade route
A city in the North Carolina mountains is taking the social media wisecracks in stride after posting a map of its Christmas parade street closures and detours that resembles a penis.
“Gonna be a great ride,” a woman said on Facebook about the City of Hendersonville map.
“Kinda surprised no one is claiming they have a bigger parade,” a man posted on the site.
“I’m sure the route would be a lot shorter if it was cold outside,” chimed another man on Facebook.
Wednesday night’s post by the city government has drawn 6,300 mostly smart-aleck comments with laughing-face emojis, 6,900 likes and 11,000 shares.
The post appeared to be straight-up serious, warning about crowds and traffic at the parade organized by the Hendersonville Merchants and Business Association.
Hendersonville is 103 miles west of Charlotte and 266 miles southwest of Raleigh.
The parade is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, and will be streamed by TOTAL Sports Network, according to the city’s post with the map.
But the social media jokes soon flooded in.
“Be smart about where you decide to park,” a man advised. “It looks like it’s going to be harder to pull out this year.”
“Looks like it’ll be a quick one,” a woman quipped.
The city government played right along with the good-natured ribbing.
“Now that we have your attention ... don’t forget to lock your vehicle doors and conceal all Christmas purchases and packages,” city officials posted on Facebook.
“We knew the Christmas parade becoming an evening event would draw some attention, but we had no idea there’d be this level of interest in the new detour route,” officials posted on Facebook.
“We’ve been impressed with the creativity of our residents, visitors and well-wishers and hope you’ll bring your enthusiasm and imagination to future Hendersonville events and projects … especially the comprehensive plan engagement opportunities in 2023.”
When a woman posted with a laughing emoji that “I’ve never been prouder of my town” in reference to the map, the city replied:
“We are proud of our city too. In case all you commenters haven’t figured it out yet — the City of Hendersonville is a great place to be. Check out Hendersonvillenc.gov to be a part of all the fun.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2022 at 10:18 AM.