Annual Carleton Place Santa Claus Parade Saturday
Posted Nov 26, 2009 By Jeff Maguire
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Tweet ThisEMC Events - Interest is high and organizers are expecting strong participation when the annual Santa Claus Parade announces the arrival of the holiday season in Carleton Place this Saturday evening.
The late afternoon parade of lights, which begins at 5 p.m. from Carambeck Public School, will travel the full length of Bridge Street and Lansdowne Avenue. The sponsoring Carleton Place Business Improvement Association (BIA) is anticipating at least 100 floats and numerous walking entries. There will also be several bands including marching and stationary (on floats) units in the lengthy procession.
BIA coordinator Cathie McOrmond hadn't done a recount on the number of registered entries last Thursday. But speaking to the EMC she noted, "The folder is just as thick as it has been in past years.
"It looks like we will have a large number of participants once again. People are very enthusiastic."
McOrmond notes the mild November weather has had little if any affect in terms of dulling interest in this year's parade.
"The entries and inquiries just keep coming in."
She is also pleased to see many new entries lining up to register for what is undoubtedly the largest and best attended one-day, outdoor extravaganza of the year in Carleton Place. Thousands line the streets to watch the parade and hundreds participate in it.
"Some of our regulars have dropped off for one reason or another. Some people are too busy and others are just taking a break. There are a variety of reasons.
"But we have lots of new entries to make up for those we are losing."
Among the new entries will be floats from St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School, Lake 88 radio in Perth, Little Rock Farm and H. Rose Machining, to name only four.
"There are a lot of new entries," McOrmond underlines. "I think that is great."
In terms of needs, the chief organizer says there is definitely room for additional volunteers to assist in the staging area, which begins at the corner of Bridge St. and Town Line Road and runs past Carambeck School, along Bridge St. N. and a portion of Quarry Road, the boundary between Carleton Place and the neighbouring Town of Mississippi Mills.
"It's a big staging area and we can use some more help," she adds, noting that adults or older teenagers are preferred.
"If a student needs volunteer hours they should give me a call," she notes, referring to the requirement that secondary school students do 40 hours of volunteer work in the community during their high school tenure.
Members of the local Community Emergency Response Volunteer (CERV) organization will augment BIA volunteers and police, providing traffic and crowd control along the route of Saturday's procession.
A number of businesses and organizations have volunteered to dispense hot chocolate and warm cider to parade watchers this year.
"Sponsorship has been really good as well. We have more than $3,400 in sponsorship money from local organizations and businesses this year, which is fantastic.
"Most of it (donated funds) goes to paying the bands - they are expensive, but very important," McOrmond observes.
Parade of lights
This marks the sixth annual evening parade and the format has proven very popular with participants and parade watchers alike
Collectively the many entries are covered with millions of sparkling lights. The light show has enhanced the parade and made the event more popular than ever.
The beautifully lighted entries are augmented by the spectacular downtown tree lighting display, which enthralls visitors and residents alike every winter. It too is a BIA-sponsored undertaking.
The theme of this year's parade is 'A Christmas Melody'. The theme is clearly aimed at providing an auditory note to go with the visual spectacle provided by so many colourful lights.
As mentioned the procession begins at 5 p.m. from Carambeck Public School on Bridge St. N. The route runs the entire length of Bridge St., Carleton Place's main thoroughfare.
McOrmond calls the parade "a joyous community occasion" and says this year's event promises to be as good or better than past efforts.
"You will see the Christmas spirit come alive in downtown Carleton Place," she predicts. "Businesses, community groups, citizens of the community and visitors join to make this (parade) a success.
"It is a very exciting time in our community."
Christmas of course is the season for giving and the Santa Claus Parade also provides an opportunity for everyone to get into the spirit of giving and assisting others. Again this year the Carleton Place and District Civitan Club will be collecting non-perishable food items and accepting cash donations on behalf of the Lanark County Food Bank in Carleton Place and the local Christmas Basket Fund.
Civitan members will push grocery carts along the route to collect donations and spectators are urged to bring food with them Saturday night. As a substitute monetary donations are gratefully accepted and the cash goes to support the annual Christmas Basket Fund. The fund provides Christmas dinner and gifts for the under privileged and/or those facing tough times as a result of the worldwide recession.
As for the parade, entries will compete for multiple awards, which will be determined by a panel of judges. There will be first, second and third place plaques presented for Best Walking Entry and Best Use of Theme. In addition there are prizes for Best Commercial Entry, Best Small Independent Business participant as well as for the entry judged Best Overall.
Once again Santa Claus himself will be the final entry in the parade.
Following the spectacle people are invited to move to nearby Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital, on Lake Ave. E., where the annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony is scheduled to start shortly after the parade. There will be free hot chocolate and Christmas carols will be sung.
For additional information about this year's Carleton Place BIA Santa Claus Parade, or to volunteer to assist, call the organization's business office at 613-257-8049 or e-mail cmcormond@carletonplace.ca.
To learn details of other events and activities in Carleton Place this holiday season visit the website www.downtowncarletonplace.com.
