THUNDER BAY -- The presence of winter was felt rather than seen at the annual Santa Claus parade.
Thousands of people braved chilly temperatures and lined the sides of Memorial Avenue on a sunny but frigid Saturday morning for the 24th annual Rotary Christmas, an event that is considered the local kickoff to the Christmas season.
Nine-year-old Holden Trewin, who was along the route with his parents and friends, was among those in a festive spirit.
“I really like seeing the trucks and the floats,” he said, adding the wind chill that felt like -15C would not keep him inside.
The parade is a tradition not only for the children but for their parents, many of whom had also anxiously anticipated the arrival of Santa when they were younger.
Kaela Stradiotto still remembers the excitement of writing a letter to Santa and the thrill of seeing him each year.
Stradiotto was one of a number of Canada Post carriers were collecting letters to send to the North Pole, detailing the Christmas wishes of the city’s children.
Getting to be part of the parade, along with her young daughter, was a special experience.
“It’s a really neat thing for her to not just sit on the sidelines and be part of it,” she said.
Parade co-chair Volker Kromm was pleasantly surprised with the number of participants, with there being more than 65 floats and walking groups making up the convoy.
“We exceeded our expectations,” he said. “There were also a lot more colourful and creative floats this year.”
Many groups had members walking along the route, offering treats to the crowd.
For other groups it was an opportunity to accept goodwill from a large portion of the community. Among other organizations, volunteers from The Shelter House were taking non-perishable food donations.
“There were a lot of other small initiatives going on out there raising awareness for various charities and organizations,” Kromm said.
“I think that really does well because they see this as a venue to get their message out to a larger group in the city.”
