Clyde residents will be welcoming jolly old St. Nick to their village, as they prepare to host their seventh annual Santa Claus Parade this Sunday evening.
The Dec. 7 event is organized by Clyde Parks & Play, a committee that works to make improvements within the village, as a way to bring the community together.
“It’s just a lot of fun. We do it for the community, for families and for kids to see Santa Claus,” committee chair Bev Pollard said.
The evening’s festivities will kick off with a parade around the village beginning and 5 p.m., depending on the weather. The parade route begins at the curling club, then will head south on 49 Street. It will head west to Main Street along 47 Avenue, the turn north to finish at the skating rink.
At the skating rink, there will be a large bonfire supervised by the Clyde Fire Department to help participants keep warm, and inside the skate shack there will be free hot dogs and hot chocolate — not to mention the opportunity to meet the guest of honour.
“Kids get to meet Santa Claus and the get to tell him what they want for Christmas,” Pollard said.
The attendance at the parade varies over the years, depending on weather. In years where the weather is especially cold there may only be a handful of floats, and in nicer weather they can get more than a dozen. Likewise, the size of the audience rises and falls with the mercury.
“I think the least amount we ever had was around 100 and the most we had was up around 350 to 400,” Pollard said, adding it’s not just village residents who are invited, but everyone who’s interested.
There is no official registration required for the parade. Instead, participants are just asked to arrive at the curling rink by 4 p.m. with their parade entries. Entries could be anything from an entire float or as simple as a bicycle decorated with some Christmas lights.
“This is always our biggest event of the year,” Pollard said.
While they sometimes put on fundraising events to support development of the park in the village — which now includes a playground, a skateboard park, outdoor exercise equipment and, as of this year, some new landscaping — this event is meant simply as a way to get the community together and into the holiday spirit.
