By Rori Bennett – Junior Reporter
Despite snow and frigid temperatures, the sun shone bright, welcoming Santa to Wallaceburg on Saturday afternoon, November 16.
Streets were lined with smiling faces as children and families of all ages watched the 50th annual Knights of Pythias Santa Claus parade. The parade marks the beginning of the Holiday Season in the community.
The parade hosted by the Knights of Pythias, followed a route from Arnold Street, north on Dufferin Avenue, onto James Street, and finally onto Elgin Street where it concluded at the St. Clair Catholic District School Board office.
This year’s theme, “A Golden Christmas”, celebrated 50 years of Santa Claus parades in Wallaceburg, with an abundance of gold and sparkle adorning floats and parade vehicles.
The parade featured a large contingency of floats and bands, as well as participants from local schools, churches, clubs, and agencies. Some of the floats included Pure Academy, Community Living, No Frills, Select Finishing, Chatham Phoenix Cheer, Bears & Scouts, Wallaceburg Skating Club, as well as many others.
“The theme for this year is ‘A Golden Christmas,’ in honor of the 50th anniversary,” Brian Druer, one of the lead organizers, told the Sydenham Current.
“We have had 50 great years of the parade, and we just wanted to celebrate that. In the parade, we are expecting a lot more firetrucks than last year, 2018, and we are praying for a great turnout of floats. We also have many sponsors for the parade, from approximately 95% of the factories in Wallaceburg.”
Here are some photos from the 50th Annual Wallaceburg Christmas parade:
