Greater Sudbury's annual Santa Claus parade is less than a month away but organizers say they're confident that youngsters across the city will enjoy the event, which will follow a new, longer route this year.
Downtown Sudbury BIA (Business Improvement Area) held a press conference Monday to outline details of the annual event, which is scheduled for Nov. 22 beginning at 5:30 p.m. If you include the fireworks display, find your parking spot downtown by 5:15 p.m., said the organizers.
The BIA has also published a list of available parking on parade day.
As in past years, the event will begin at Ste-Anne Road by Notre Dame, but then it will proceed west along Ste-Anne Road to Elgin Street. Then, it is along Elgin to Elm Street, turning east toward Durham Street, then south on Durham two blocks over to Larch Street.
The parade then runs east along Larch to Lisgar Street, turning north two blocks to Elm, turning east along Elm to Notre Dame and the north back to the finish point at Ste-Anne Road.
In announcing the details, BIA Executive Director Jeff MacIntyre said the theme for this year's parade is “Christmas movies”, so he said to expect floats and entries with a Christmas Hollywood theme like “Home Alone”, “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” and even “Die Hard”.
MacIntyre said the new route will create more opportunities for people to interact with downtown businesses.
"With the new expanded route, the parade will be going in front of a lot more restaurants and a lot more small businesses,” he said during the press conference. “So places that you can pop in, get a snack, get a treat. A lot of our businesses will be offering special treats for the evening.
“A big thank you to the city and the police for working hard to make that route a little bit longer and go in front of more places so that everybody can share in the joy of the parade."
More than 95 floats are expected for this year’s parade, MacIntyre said.
If you want some value-added fun for the youngsters in your family, check out the YMCA of Northeastern Ontario located on Durham Street on parade day, between 2-4 p.m.
"Stop at the Y between two and four for hot chocolate, cookies and to write your letters to Santa ahead of the parade," said YMCA vice president of health and wellness, Kendra MacIsaac, who is also a co-chair of the BIA. She added that the BIA is also hosting a children's colouring contest where youngsters can pick up their contest sheets beginning Nov.28.
She said the child, selected at random, as winner of the colouring contest will become an official parade judge.
"Get a ballot, enter it to win, and the selected winner will be a judge, sitting with all the VIPs," said MacIsaac.
Howe said music is an integral part of the parade and with that in mind, the parade has appointed a musical grand marshal.
"Our musical grand marshal is someone who's very well known in the community. He's a singer songwriter, and that's Chuck LaBelle, who's agreed to be our musical Grand Marshal," he said.
MacIntyre added there is still room in the parade to accept floats and entries. The deadline is Friday Nov. 7 and those who wish to be part of the parade can contact the Sudbury BIA at [email protected] or check out the BIA website for registration.
Len Gillis is a reporter at Sudbury.com.