Dust off that float, you’ve got a Christmas parade coming up

If you have the Christmas spirit (or anticipate you will soon enough), and have a holly jolly float kicking about, then West Nipissing would love to hear from you. It’s that time of year again, and the municipality is gearing up for the annual Parade of Lights, which will roll through downtown Sturgeon Falls on Friday, Dec. 6.

The parade begins at 6 p.m., but those taking part in the parade will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Community and Recreation Centre. From there, the parade heads down John Street, takes a right on Michaud, left on Ethel, and down King before wrapping up the route after heading down Queen.

No float? No problem. You can ask the town if you’d be able to parade your horse through the procession. Note that if your animal is allowed, you’ll also need to have someone following said horse with a scoop and shovel. Contact Hailey Laurin at [email protected] and she can help you.

No float? No horse? Well, your dream of joining a Christmas parade may not be dashed yet. The municipality might still need some volunteer clowns or perhaps your group or organization could walk the parade together. In a gymnastics club? Perhaps you could tumble through the streets. Contact Laurin to see how you can contribute.

There are some rules to consider before making the leap. The town wants proof of liability insurance for a minimum of $2 million. All vehicles within the parade must also have insurance. Back to floats, you must have two people walking on each side of the float – keep those little elves away from those wheels. Safety first.

Participants are not allowed to give out handouts along the routes. No candy, and no flyers or anything of the sort.

Also, standing on floats or moving vehicles is a no-go, unless safety harnesses are used, or there is a railing to keep people from falling to the cold streets below. Moreover, your float should not exceed 13 feet – it’s a float, not a land yacht.

Perhaps most importantly, no person can imitate Santa Claus on your float. Imposters will not be tolerated, as the real Santa Claus will be riding in the final float.

That’s right, Santa Claus is coming to town, West Nipissing.

The deadline to register for this year’s Parade of Lights is Tuesday, Dec. 3. For more details, and to register, visit the Municipality of West Nipissing’s website.

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.