SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Transfinder Corp. is providing its mapping and logistics
technology to map out Schenectady’s special First Responders Holiday Parade that will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 15 and wind through all the neighborhoods of Schenectady.
Transfinder’s tracking technology, which the city uses to track snowplows, will allow city residents to see in real-time when the parade is getting close to their neighborhood by logging into paradefinder.com.
The following organizations will participate in the parade: Schenectady Police Department, Schenectady Fire Department, Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office, Schenectady County Emergency Management Office, Mohawk Ambulance.
Mayor Gary McCarthy will also be participating in the parade and of course Santa Claus will make an appearance.
The parade will include 11 vehicles and travel 23 miles through seven sections of Schenectady during a two-hour period, beginning at 6 p.m.
Assistant Fire Chief Don Mareno said the idea came when news that the Schenectady Holiday Parade was canceled because of the pandemic. That parade is typically held in late November and believed to be the largest nighttime holiday parade in the Northeast. It would have been the 52nd year of the parade.
“With all the stresses of everything happening because of COVID, we thought it would be nice to bring the parade to the community,” Mareno said.
While this parade will not have as many vehicles or floats, it will be traveling a greater distance, winding through Bellevue, Mont Pleasant, Central State Street, Hamilton Hill, the Stockade and downtown. And the vehicles will be decorated with holiday themes and transmitting holiday tunes.
“This is a collaborative effort,” Mareno said. “It’s important to get out to the community and add a bit of normalcy during this time when nothing is normal, a little bit of joy and peace to comfort people.” He said first responders take on their roles to help and comfort people and holding this parade was just a continuation of that.
Mayor McCarthy said he was happy to have a live parade pass through all of the city’s neighborhoods during this season.
“Everyone loves a parade and having our first responders visiting all corners of Schenectady is very special,” Mayor McCarthy said. “I know our community will appreciate this special event.”
Antonio Civitella, president and CEO of Transfinder, said he was happy Transfinder could be a part of the festivities. Using GPS technology, the parade will travel along a route specially created by Transfinder using the parameters provided by the city. Viewers will be able to see the parade’s movement in real-time on a map that can be found by visiting paradefinder.com, similar to Transfinder’s Stopfinder parent app that allows parents to see where their child’s school bus is.
“Transfinder is honored to provide the technology behind this parade so our community can get the very most out of this event,” he said. “We live in a great region and our first responders are once again doing what they always do, serving our community. We are glad to be a part of this initiative.”
Santa Claus could not immediately be reached for comment.
About Transfinder
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Schenectady, New York, Transfinder is a national leader in intelligent transportation systems, providing transportation management systems and services to municipalities, school districts and adult care facilities. Transfinder, an Inc. magazine “fastest-growing company” for 11 consecutive years, has offices in Austin, Texas, and Shanghai, China. The software company, named the Best Place to Work and Top Workplace, develops and supports routing and scheduling solutions for optimal transportation logistics. For more information, visit www.transfinder.com.
