By Cecilia Nasmith
Even though the Colborne Santa Claus Parade – like so many beloved holiday events – will not go on this year as usual, a COVID version means the jolly gentleman will still visit Cramahe Township Nov. 27 and 28.
Long-time parade chair Tracey Loveless will keep that all-important Santa Claus float, with certain modifications, and tour it around Castleton and Colborne so he can pass along greetings and best wishes to residents who have stayed safe at home.
In years past, the beloved parade's big sponsor was the Colborne Legion, but Ontario Command has been forced to shut down such events.
Loveless, organizer Nancy Heighton, and their merry little elves (probably a half-dozen of them, she estimates) have secured the generous support of the Fidelity company for a more maneuverable vehicle to get around the streets of town more easily than their usual parade flatbed – a pick-up truck with a longer trailer that will put Santa closer to the ground (and that much closer to his fans).
It will be brightly decorated for the season, complete with a sound system so Santa can say hi – and in many cases, Loveless pointed out, he knows the children and their parents by name, so the greetings will be very personalized.
“When we decided to cancel the Santa Claus Parade, I thought, with all this COVID stuff, I don't want to see the kids have to miss something a lot of people look forward to. It starts their Christmas season,” she said.
She shared her idea with Heighton, then they ran it past Mayor Mandy Martin as something they wanted to do as private citizens. When Martin thought it might be a good idea, provided they observe all COVID precautions, they presented it to council as a courtesy so they would know there would be a small version of a Santa Claus float circulating the Castleton streets Friday night and the Colborne streets Saturday night.
“That's the plan,” Loveless said - “in Castleton, starting to circulate around 7 p.m. Friday and in Colborne around 7 p.m. Saturday night.”
This is about the time the parade would have begun in Colborne, she noted, and it will take place on the weekend usually set aside for that event.
Loveless has a friend in Napanee who chairs the parade committee in that community, and they have a different approach of their own. Instead of the regular parade, they are setting up a static version of the parade, floats and all, and inviting people to drive past.
It's an idea she had heard and considered – but in the end, she said, this idea risked bringing people out of their bubbles to some extent.
“We want people to stay home,” she stressed.
“If they want to come out and sit on their steps or wait at the end of their driveway, that's okay. We will drive by slowly, wave, talk to them through the sound system.”
Loveless has already posted these plans on Facebook, where she will set up an event page as more details emerge. But they are already getting a very happy and favourable response.
Loveless and her elves are figuring out a specific route they will be covering in both communities, which will be posted on the Facebook page closer to the big night.
“COVID can't ruin everything!” she declared.
“I won't let it totally wreck everything.”
