For the past 74 years, The Kiwanis Club of Owen Sound has proudly sponsored, planned and presented the Owen Sound Santa Claus Parade. The annual event saw the community celebrate the holiday season with floats, bands, displays and of course helped welcome Santa to the city. This year, in response to Public Health guidelines and in the interests of everyone’s safety, the Club will be presenting a “Drive Through” parade that will be staged at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.

“The Santa Claus parade is one of our favourite events to put on,” said Kiwanis President Andrew Drury. “We love being a part of holiday spirit and our members, parade participants, sponsors, and volunteers together put on something special for families to enjoy. We couldn’t imagine not having a parade, but we did have to re-imagine what that may look like.”

Similar to other recent community events, the Kiwanis Club will create a Drive Through experience that will feature some of the more important elements of the parade. Residents are invited to drive past a stationary parade and celebrate the holidays.

Date:
Saturday November 21

Time:
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Location:
Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre
1900 3rd Ave E, Owen Sound, ON N4K 2M6

Overview:
One Way traffic only, entering the Bayshore Community Centre on 18th Street East off 2nd Avenue West. Participants must stay in their cars. Unfortunately there will be no pedestrian access to the parade, however there will be a dedicated bus that will depart the main bus terminal and take individuals and families to the parade and return to the terminal (there will be restrictions on the number of passengers per trip).

“The commitment to making Owen Sound a better place for kids and families is one our members take seriously and I’m happy that we’re able to make this happen,” said Past President Michelle Kobryn. “But as well people coming to watch the parade helped make a difference for others too. It is unfortunate that the parade won’t look the same this year, but kids deserve Santa and by golly they’re going to get him!”

The Drive Through parade will be free of charge, but residents are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for the Salvation Army Food Drive. As well kids (of all ages) are invited to bring letters to Santa that will be safely collected by Canada Post representatives.

“It was always amazing to see how much the community was willing to share with the Salvation Army on parade day,” said Kiwanian and parade Chair Tim Brown. “This year it will be even more important to help others who may be struggling or in need. So we made sure we kept that element as a part of the parade, and of course those letters to Santa are special for everyone who believes, so we made sure that could be safely covered.”

The Kiwanis Club will announce further holiday plans including Christmas Tree Sales and a special presentation of parades past on Rogers TV in the near future.

“Our Club remains focused on supporting this community in many different ways,” added Drury. “Though it may be a little difficult and a little different, we’re going to make sure we do it as best we can. We will absolutely miss the usual parade, but we’ll be back to that faster if we continue to respect Public Health directives and do these things safely.”

source: media release, The Kiwanis Club of Owen Sound