Santa’s little helpers
Summerside firefighters taking over annual downtown Christmas parade
SUMMERSIDE – Santa Claus will have some new elves helping him when he visits Summerside this year.
The city’s annual welcome parade for the big guy in red is now being organized by the Summerside Volunteer Fire Department, which is taking over from Downtown Summerside Inc.
Fire Chief Ron Enman said when they were approached to take on the responsibility of the event, they were happy to do it.
“There was some question whether it was going to continue if somebody didn’t take it over, and not too many organizations have the depth of membership that we do. So, we decided as a group that it was important. So here we are,” he said.
The department has been organizing since August, he added, and now has a solid organizing committee, headed by firefighter Wallace MacAusland, and growing support from local businesses.
“There’s a lot of good people on the committee, and that helps,” said Enman.
Lydia Potter, executive director of Downtown Summerside Inc., said the organization has been trying to move away from spending its time and limited resources on organizing oneshot events and, instead, putting more effort into making the downtown a place people want to be every day.
This past summer, for example, it moved away from the responsibility of the annual Downtown Sidewalk Sale, which was taken over by the local business owners.
The fire department is a good fit for the parade, said Potter, and once it made the decision to commit, the members were eager to get started.
“I think where the community is concerned there is a good marriage there. In the past, Santa has always come in on a fire truck … so it kind of maintains that story,” said Potter.
The parade will be held Nov. 22, getting underway at 6 p.m.
Anyone interested in entering a float can do so until Nov. 18. Contact MacAusland at wallypmac@gmail.com.
There is also a new route for the parade. This year it will leave Holland College waterfront campus and travel west on Water Street, up Duke Street, then east on Notre Dame and down Spring Street to end at the fire hall. Sources say Santa will be hanging around the hall to visit with whoever wants a word with him.