Witless Bay Kinsmen extend call for floats
November 24, 2023 Edition
The Kinsmen Club of Witless Bay and Area have been hosting the annual Santa Claus parade for 43 years, and it has become an integral part of the Christmas season in the region. Some years the parade has been small and some large, but no matter the number of floats, it has, and it will continue to go ahead each year.
Even during COVID, the Kinsmen modified their route and traveled the parade throughout each community from Bay Bulls to Bauline South to ensure residents could have an opportunity to see the floats and Jolly Old St. Nick, while following isolation guidelines.
The Kin Canada motto is “Serving the Community’s Greatest Need,” and the local Kinsmen Club interprets that motto as a call not only to help their communities financially, but also to host events that bring the community together. Kinsmen president, Brian Harte says “Community spirit is such an important part of residents having a feeling of pride and belonging and we know that the annual Santa Claus parade builds that sense of community.” Harte acknowledges that the parade is their favorite event of the year where they get all members involved as well as a large group of volunteers who help build floats, sell tickets at the raffle, serving food, and helping in many other ways. He would like to extend the club’s sincere thanks to everyone that has helped with the parade in the past and those who have entered floats as well.
The Santa Claus parade has been supported over the years by many businesses and organizations such as the Town of Witless Bay, Girl Guides, Cadets, local schools, the Knights of Columbus and private businesses, just to name a few. With pride, Harte says “the parade is an event that brings back wonderful memories for community members young and old, as many have participated or watched as children and now do so with their own children. We see some of our seniors watching through their windows every year. It really is a holiday tradition in our community.”
The Kinsmen would like to encourage our communities to keep this event alive by entering floats, volunteering or just coming out to watch. They welcome everyone to partake in the meet and greet with Santa at St. Bernard’s Elementary immediately following the parade. This year’s parade is taking place on December 2nd and will start at Dean’s Road at 10:30 a.m. The route travels along Harbour Road, the Southern Shore Highway to Gallows Cove Road and then back the highway to the elementary school. Anyone interested in participating should contact Chris Swain at 709-765-2694 or David Brinston at 709-699-0682.
Jennifer Aspell
Witless Bay