Charleston City Council voted to temporarily close down city streets for events in September and October at during meeting Tuesday.

Eighth Street between Van Buren and Jackson Avenues will close at 6:30 a.m., Sept. 12, for the Cub Scout Pack 41’s annual Soapbox Derby.

Smith Drive, 15th Street, Seventh Street, Monroe Street and Sixth Street will close at 5 p.m., Oct. 9, for the Charleston High School Homecoming Parade.

For Eastern’s Homecoming parade, streets will be closed from 3 a.m. to noon on Oct. 24, at: Seventh Street from campus to the city square, Seventh Street to Sixth Street at Monroe Avenue, Sixth Street to Polk Avenue, Polk Avenue to Fourth Street, and Fourth Street to O’Brien Stadium.

Eighth Street from Jefferson to Monroe, around the city square and back down Monroe to Eighth Street will close at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 30, for the Jefferson Grade School’s Halloween parade.

Eastern President David Glassman also spoke during the council meeting about the ride-a-long he and Mayor Brandon Combs Charleston Police Saturday evening.

Glassman said he wanted to share his appreciation for the police department for the professionalism, tolerance and sensitivity he saw during the ride-a-long.

“I appreciated the restraint to do so, and the respect shown by the Charleston Police Department to the EIU students,” Glassman said.

Glassman said he appreciated seeing the Eastern students being respectful while at house parties and not being overly loud.

Glassman said he is thankful for the welcoming environment that the Eastern and Charleston communities are working together to build.

Combs said he remembers being an Eastern student and seeing the police from the student’s side.

“I was impressed with the way our cops handled certain situations,” Combs said. “It was definitely something I look forward to doing again.”

Other approved items from the meeting were the assignment of lease for the McDonald’s restaurant, the appointment of Bob Bertrand to the Historic Preservation Commission, and the approval of the consent agenda.

The consent agenda included the approval of the Housing Outreach Prevention and Education or HOPE of East Central Illinois annual Night of Hope at Jackson Avenue Coffee.

Mackenzie Freund can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected]