THUNDER BAY – Dave Dolph has been decorating his truck and taking part in the annual Parade of Lights for years.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
A plow operator by day, Dolph said it’s all for a good cause – or in this case for of them.
“It’s for kids. Without kids, we’ve got nothing. Sick kids, healthy kids, it’s all for kids. A guy like me, I had bronchial asthma growing up, so I was a sick child. Back then there was no help for us,” Dolph said.
It took him, his wife Jennifer and their youngest son, Austin, several hours on Saturday to deck his plow truck in just the right way.
It’s time well spent, he said.
“I went in late last night and made it look nice and shiny and we used 27 strings of lights,” Dolph said.
The support this year was fantastic.
He had friends, co-workers and customers provide donations, which he turned over to parade organizers on Saturday before setting out along Main Street, one of 135 entries in this year’s event.
“And we got some new people out here, which is nice. It’s really good. I go down the route and I’ve got people waving at me … This is just the icing on the cake.”
Greg Stephenson, the former head of the Thunder Bay Police Association and long-time Parade of Lights chair, said it felt great seeing everything come together once again in 2019.
“You always have that hesitation hoping everything turns out. The weather is perfect. We have 135 trucks registered and we’re going to have a great show” Stephenson said, about an hour before this year’s parade began.
“I’ve already seen the vehicles lining up the road and there are going to be lots of people out to watch.”
Stephenson said he’s confident this will be one of their best years yet.
“Every year we try to strive to be better than the year before,” he said. “It’s going to be one of the best attended.
Proceeds from the parade will be donated to Autism Ontario’s Thunder Bay chapter, the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre, Special Olympics and the Thunder Bay Therapeutic Riding Association.
