Christmas parades – not quite but sort of

Jeff Green | Nov 18, 2020

The good news is that Santa Claus is indeed coming to town, at least to Sharbot Lake on December 5 and Harrowsmith on December 12.

It won't be exactly the same as the Santa Clause parades in normal years, but local organisers have worked with the townships and Public Health to ensure that at least one enduring symbol of the season will persist in spite of the COVID pandemic.

In place of the Parade and the Festival of Trees in Sharbot Lake, which usually run on consecutive weekends, a tree lighting and Luminarias event is scheduled for dusk on Friday, December 4, and on December 5, a Santa Drive by at the township office will take place between 2pm and 4pm.

Event organisers are happy to announce that Bob Veley, from Tichborne, will be furnishing his Santa Claus sleigh, which has been in retirement for a number of years, and Ken and Kim Gould will be reprising their roles as Santa and Mrs. Claus for the special occasion.

Vehicles are being asked to approach the township office on Elizabeth street from the entrance to the south, at the corner across from the Sharbot Lake Country Inn and proceed to the lot across from the township office, at the entrance to the government dock, where Santa will be waiting, in his sleigh, for a distanced visit. Donations of hygiene products (tooth paste, laundry detergent, diapers, etc) for the North Frontenac Food bank will be encouraged. Rumour has it that Santa's elves will be on hand, with something for children to take home.

The elves will also be accepting letters to Santa, which will be sent to the familiar H0H 0H0 postal code for return before Christmas.

For further details about the event, look to the Frontenac News next week, Frontenacnews.ca or the Caremongering Sharbot Lake Facebook page.

In Harrowsmith on December 12, an evening stationary, “Parade of Lights” is set for Centennial Park between 5pm and 7:30pm.

This will be a Drive Through Parade. The twist is that the parade doesn't move but the spectators do! From the safety of your car, you will get to drive through lit up displays from organisations, businesses, and even community members.

Organisations or individuals who are interested in putting floats in the parade are encouraged to contact the Harrowsmith and District Social and Athletic Club (aka the S&A club) at 613-372-0917 or their Facebook page for details.

The S&A Club, which has been hobbled by the pandemic, just as many other groups have been, has been working for weeks with Public Health and the township, to make sure the festival of lights can be a safe, family event.

For further details, check the Harrowsmith column in next week's Frontenac News, or look to the S&A Club Facebook page or Twitter feed.