THUNDER BAY -- Santa Claus is coming to town.
Kris Kringle will be making his annual pre-Christmas appearance in the city on Saturday as the highlight of the 24th annual Rotary Christmas Parade.
The parade is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of the Real Canadian Superstore, proceeding towards the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.
Parade co-chair Volker Kromm said traffic will be disrupted on Memorial Avenue, the main street of the route, early in the morning. It will also affect the eastern ends of the Harbour Expressway and Beverley Street.
“After 9:30 a.m. be aware that it will be hard to get around on Memorial,” Kromm said.
The parade serves as the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season. It usually draws at least 20,000, many of them young families, along the route every year.
With favourable weather conditions, a little chilly but no snow, Kromm expects that to hold true once again.
Those who do come out to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus will see a wide range of different floats.
“The variety is really up this year,” he said.
