Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down main street.
The big man is coming to Bonnyville for the fourth annual Santa Claus Parade on Saturday, Dec. 1.
“It starts off by the Players’ Lounge, and goes all the way down to the Centennial Centre,” explained organizer Doreen Kushnir.
Last year, there was over 20 floats that preceded jolly old Saint Nick when the event took place.
Kushnir encouraged interested groups to preregister if they’re participating this year.
“If there’s only one or two floats, it would be cancelled. We need at least 20 floats to go through, and I think we’ll be fine with that,” she noted.
While she would rather know the numbers ahead of time, there will still be the chance to sign up the day of.
It was the hard work of the Santa Claus parade committee that brought the event back to the area after almost a decade without one.
Vonda Worthman one of the original organizers of the parade, approached town council with the idea of resurrecting the parade after a discussion with her Grade 6 class at H.E.B. School.
“It’s a family event that’s exciting. If you’ve ever experienced a Santa Claus parade as a child, it’s part of the magic of Christmas... It’s something every child should experience or have part of a childhood memory,” Worthman noted.
It was the interest from the community that got the project off the ground.
“People are always asking (when it is), or ‘is there a parade this year?’” she said.
A stand out for Kushnir each year is the town’s entry.
“The town always does an awesome (float)... The town’s is always good because there’s Santa on it. Santa’s always the highlight of it all,” she expressed.
Mother nature has been generous in previous years, with Kushnir hoping the temperature doesn’t keep people away.
“We’ve been really lucky every year, it’s not that cold,” she said.
Once the last float reaches the C2, there will be an event after to celebrate the kick-off of the holiday season.
“I hope the C2’s after party is well attended, because this is the first year for the event. I know organizing something for the first year can be a little stressful, and I hope they get a good turn out,” Worthman expressed.
The celebration will include sleigh rides, a winter bon fire, rock climbing, and of course, a chance to meet Santa Claus.
Kushnir noted, “(The event) is to get everyone into the Christmas spirit... It’s always fun, people love to see Santa, and it’s something for the kids to do.”
Registration forms for the event can be found through the Town of Bonnyville website.
