?Sure, Christmas was still over a month away. But it didn't matter. Everyone lining the streets of Timmins on Saturday evening seemed to be feeling the same sense of excitement in the air.
?Thousands of people gathered around downtown for the yearly Santa Claus parade. Anticipation built as float after float caught the collective imaginations of youngsters and adults alike. In total, nearly 50 different displays of varying sizes and themes paraded through the heart of the city.
But it was the pilot of the last float that everyone was waiting for.
Two reindeer rounded the corner of Third Ave. Then two more. And that's when he appeared. Santa Claus, the jolly old elf himself, was in town, and more than a few people were ecstatic to see him.
"Seeing Santa Claus is the best part!" yelled excited six-year-old Chase Tessier, standing with his young brothers Sayd and Jayden, and their friend Logan. "I love seeing Santa Claus! It's the best part for me too," added Jayden.
"I liked the music, I was dancing," said Sayd, busting a move and showing off his skills. "But I was really happy to see Santa Claus too."
In fact, there weren't many differing opinions on the matter. Especially for the younger ones, it seemed Old Saint Nick was the highlight of the show.
That's not to say teens and adults on hand weren't happy to see Santa too. There were just other things to look forward to, as well.
"Watching these guys was the best," said June Tessier, Jayden, Sayd and Chase's grandmother. "It was fun, they got right into it. They danced, they enjoyed the music, the lights, everything was awesome."
To top it all off, the procession ended closer to 7:30 p.m. than the 8:30 originally predicted by parade organizers, totalling about an hour-and-a-half in length.
The parade began at the Timmins Transit depot on Spruce St. S., veering left on Algonquin Blvd. and eventually through part of the downtown core.
Various businesses, charity organizations and other holiday enthusiasts slowly rolled by the crowd, often 5 or 6 people deep, waving at cheerful onlookers and giving out chocolate and other little trinkets.
A large group from the Nancy Delmonte Academy of Dance were among the first to create a quite the visual display, each member covered in lights and dancing up a storm.
The Melissa Kelly Dance Academy team was not to be outdone, clad completely in bright red, shaking and jiving to the sound of music resonating through the streets.
Happy students also streamed by, representing the likes of O'Gorman High School and Timmins High and Vocational School. The Air Cadets were on hand too, and the Sea Cadets marching band performed some favourite Christmas classics without missing a beat.
And the floats just kept on coming.
The popular and charitable Yo! Mobile was part of the procession, as were members of the Hollinger Golf Club and the Timmins Minor Hockey Association.
The animal kingdom was also very well represented. Standard Stables were on hand with some beautiful horses, and the Timmins and District Humane Society was accompanied by an astounding amount of dogs of various breeds, bringing smiles to the faces of animal-lovers. Of course, the majestic Timmins Police Service horses have become a favourite staple at such events.
One of the last floats was what appeared to be a moving campsite, complete with a tent, an artificial campfire and plenty of young happy campers. Upon closer inspection, the float was put together by members of Friends of Ivanhoe, who have been pushing hard to get a compromise done with the government regarding the recent closure of ten Northeastern Ontario provincial parks.
Friends of Ivanhoe member Linda Halt joked that the float might be the only alternative for camping if they happen to fall short of their goal. On the back of the float rested a giant handwritten note reading, "Dear Santa, please save Ivanhoe Park, our summer home".
"We had about a week to build the float, and it just all came together, we had a great group of people working on it," said Halt. "The idea was to get the children involved in some way, because they're hurting too. They know they're not going back to the campsites next summer, so far, so it's to show them that we're trying to fix what's wrong and that there are things being done to make it better."
About three-quarters of the way through the parade, Mrs. Santa Claus made a surprise appearance on a float of her own, and the kids lining the sidewalk started getting visibly excited.
When Santa finally did appear, you would have thought you'd missed a month and that Christmas day was already upon us. Such was the level of excitement for another cold, yet apparently very successful Santa Claus parade.
Readers are welcome to click through the picture gallery at the top of the page to relive some of the evening's best moments.
Source: http://www.timminspress.com/2012/11/03/santa-highlights-successful-parade
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