Santa Toy Parade kickstarts Ottawa's yuletide spirit

guest · 2016-11-19

The first true snowfall of the year may be a day away, but there was no shortfall of seasonal cheer in the capital as the Help Santa Toy Parade dashed, danced and pranced its way through downtown Ottawa Saturday morning.

As firefighters crisscrossed the parade route collecting toys and cash donations, the crowd — which was, not surprisingly, dominated by families with young children — got to see just under an hour’s worth of marching entertainment that included bagpipers, horses of all sizes, dance troupes and even a squadron of Stormtroopers amid dozens of floats.

Courtesy of Crime Stoppers, there was an olde-time jail cell on wheels occupied by — who else? — The Grinch, while a Canada Post float was accompanied by a phalanx of frolicking mailbox mascots. There were greyhounds dressed up as reindeer, Shriners on miniature motorcycles, a bevy of Disney princesses, a cameo appearance by Miss Teenage Canada and a wee OC Transpo bus-lette.

The annual event — now in its 47th year — is organized by the Ottawa Professional Fire Fighters’ Association, and typically raises thousands of dollars to help less fortunate children throughout the region.

This year’s sponsor list included Coca Cola, Giant Tiger, Metro and Ottawa Hydro. The power utility somehow managed to wrangle the honour of ferrying the jolly old elf himself through the throng of adoring fans.

As Santa is, at heart, a showman, his appearance came towards the end of the parade, not that there seemed to be much grumbling over the wait.

In fact, more than an hour before the parade was scheduled to get underway, strategically located vantage points along the planned route were being staked out by parade regulars like Tracy Demers and her family, who were getting in position on Laurier.

“This is our spot we come to every year,” she said. The spot, her mother explained, is particularly conveniently situated for any outdoor event in mid- to late November.

“We’ve got Timmy’s, so we’re all set,” she noted, pointing to a nearby coffee shop doing brisk business doling out thermal cups that also served as ad hoc hand warmers.

Despite forecasts that the mercury could hit mid-double digits, the combination of a lingering fog and a brisk wind made for a distinctly chilly morning.

A little further down Laurier, Paulette Girard was looking forward to her first ever Ottawa Santa experience.

“We live in Stittsville, so we’ve been to the local ones there, but this is our first downtown parade.”

Five-time parade veteran Nick Theriault said that for him, it’s important to make sure his daughter to see the community coming together.

“The cool thing about it is that you see all the people who work behind the scenes in Ottawa,” he said.

“They all come out for this one thing. It’s nice for her to see that interactivity.”

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Here he is! Thousands flocked downtown to take in the Help Santa Toy Parade festivities Saturday

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The big man arrives. Thousands flocked downtown to take in the Help Santa Toy Parade festivities Saturday