Santa Clause is coming to town all right. This weekend, in fact.
Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in Chatham Friday night, and Wallaceburg on Saturday evening.
Preparations for the Chatham parade are all but complete, Katie Goulet, office and project manager for the Historic Downtown Chatham BIA, said.
“It’s pretty much all set up. We have all the volunteers signed up,” she said. “There will be about 70 floats and several bands.”
The Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment Pipes and Drums, the Branch 642 Royal Canadian Legion Pipe Band, Deep Southwest, and the Southwind Buoys are all part of the parade, Goulet said.
Several buskers will be on hand, and the Southern Cruisers Riding Club Chatham-Kent 312 will lead the way, gathering toys and canned goods for the Chatham Goodfellows.
The parade participants will gather along Sandys Street to line up prior to parade start, which takes place at 6 p.m.
Goulet reminds parade goers it takes time for the parade to make its way from the corner of Grand Avenue West and Sandys Street to the downtown core.
“The parade leaves Sandys St. at 6 p.m. but doesn’t get to King and Third streets until about 6:30 p.m.,” she said.
Goulet said she loves the energy of the parade.
“Even just getting everyone lined up with the floats. Everyone’s excited to be there and see all the families,” she said.
And then there are the smiling faces of the kids.
To that end, Goulet said Tasty Treats will set up in the parking lot beside the BIA, selling hot chocolate, cotton candy and candy apples.
When the parade ends at the W.I.S.H. Centre, Goulet invites everyone to come along.
“We’ll have free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, free pizza from OG Pizza, and hot chocolate,” she said.
The parade is made possible thanks to a host of volunteers, as well as sponsorship support.
This year, Enbridge, Engie, Waste Connections, J. Quaglia Law and OG Pizza are on board. OG’s bringing the food, while the other organizations have provided various levels of financial support to make the parade go from dream to reality.
This year’s theme is “Whispers of Winter Wonderland.”
For Goulet, this marks her second Santa Claus parade while heading up the BIA. She said the first time around was at times overwhelming.
“This year, I know what I’m expecting. I’m looking forward to it,” she said.
All that’s needed now is for Mother Nature to co-operate.
Santa’s spreading his time around for the families across Chatham-Kent. Aside from Chatham and then Wallaceburg this weekend, he will be in Tilbury on Nov. 28, Blenheim on Dec. 5, Wheatley Dec. 6, Ridgetown on the afternoon of Dec. 13 and in Dresden that evening, and in Thamesville on Dec. 19 for these communities’ Santa Claus parades.
