Parading in the holidays

Santa Claus is coming to town.

The jolly fellow in red is making his way through downtown Sudbury for the annual Santa Claus parade this weekend, Nov. 17. Saint Nick is following 87 other entries through the city's core, as sights and sounds of the season rock through Sudbury.

This year, Downtown Sudbury has devoted an entire day to the parade. A family friendly Santa Watch party gets underway at the former Market Square at 2 p.m., and runs until the parade begins at 5:30 p.m. A variety of family friendly activities will be set up at the old Market Square.

After all, that's what the parade is about. Watching young faces light up as floats pass by, and watching anticipation grow, is well worth it, according to Maureen Luoma.

“The parade is a family thing,” said the executive director of Downtown Sudbury. “It's for the children, but we really all are children at Christmas time.”

To celebrate the parade's family commitment, two of this year's judges will be kids. They will be joined by members of Downtown Sudbury's board, community members and the parade's honorary chairs Leanne and Brad Hulme from Kicx 91.7.
Once the parade finishes, and Santa hops out of the lineup at Market Square, guests can look forward to a fireworks show.

“The fireworks have become an integral part of the parade,” Luoma said.

At the other end of the parade, leading the way, are the Bluez Brothers. According to Luoma, they are an ideal fit for this year's parade.

“It's perfect for our theme Rocking Christmas in Sudbury,” she said. The local musicians will be “doing what they do best,” leading the route west on Elm, down Durham, east on Larch, south on Minto before finishing up on Elgin.

For more information on the parade, including a map and parking restrictions, visit sudburysantaclausparade.com.

 

Warm up with Northern Life at the parade

Northern Life and Sudbury Living Magazine want to help you stay warm and toasty while waiting for the parade, so why not join us on Elgin Street on Saturday afternoon for candy canes, hot chocolate and good cheer.

Staff will be setting up a tent, which we have affectionately dubbed Santa's Cabin, outside our 158 Elgin St. office, where parade watchers can await the floats in relative comfort, starting at 4 p.m.

We will have free hot chocolate and candy canes (while supplies last), courtesy of Dumas' Your Independent Grocer and Giant Tiger. Hotdogs from Frank's Delicatessen will be for sale as well.

Everyone can also pick up a complimentary copy of the latest issue of Sudbury Living. Kids can also take part in a colouring contest for a chance to win a fabulous prize from Top Notch Toys.

See you downtown!