THUNDER BAY - It was a foggy Christmas Eve when Santa asked Rudolph to guide his sleigh, but dozens of trucks didn’t need a magical reindeer to bring the spirit of the season to thousands of cheering people looking on through the fog.
The 19th Annual Parade of Lights made its way through the Intercity area on Saturday night, with thousands of people lined up along the route from Main Street, down Memorial Avenue and Fort William Road, and ending at Water Street.
Greg Stephenson, chair of the Parade of Lights, said there were 86 trucks and 20 jeeps registered for this year’s event, which is on par with past years.
“It’s awesome,” he said before the start of the parade. “There’s lots of trucks in the lot, there’s lot of people lining the route. It’s going to be a fantastic event.”
The Parade of Lights is a fundraiser for the Thunder Bay and District chapter of Autism Ontario, the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre, Special Olympics Ontario, and the Thunder Bay Therapeutic Riding Association, with all the money raised being divided equally.
“We are hoping to raise at least $25,000,” Stephenson said. “That is what we raised last year and I know the citizens of Thunder Bay and area are very generous and hopefully we will be able to obtain that goal.”
And the fog wasn’t going to dampen Stephenson’s spirit, in fact, it helped make things a little brighter.
“It helps with the lights,” he said. “You couldn’t ask for better weather.”
And while the sight of massive trucks decked out with lights and decorations is a sight to behold for the people lining the streets, for those riding on the trucks, like Debby Dick and Zena Ariganello of R&S Bobcat Services, it’s just as exciting.
“We’ve done it for the last three years,” Dick said. “The kids get involved and it’s just lots of fun. We make the decorations and get the lights. All the kids enjoy it.”
While Dick has been on the truck in years past, this was Ariganello’s first time waving to the onlookers.
“I’m really looking forward to watching my kids experience it because they’ve never been on the float,” she said. “We’ve watched it from the road but this is a whole new experience.”
As the trucks rolled past, blowing their horns and the Christmas lights cutting through the fog, the crowds waved and clapped, ready to welcome the holiday season.
“Thunder Bay is truly blessed, because we have two significant parades,” Stephenson said. “This is basically 23 days until Christmas, so this is kind of a kick off and this is a wonderful event.”
