A grassroots community effort brought Santa Claus to Cumberland Beach on the weekend.
For the third year in a row, local businesses, the fire department, Hope Community Church, and community members pitched in to bring a Santa Claus parade to the Severn Township neighbourhood.
On Sunday afternoon, hundreds gathered as community floats drove past homemade wooden Christmas trees lining the streets, before gathering at the church to enjoy a bonfire, s’mores, face painting, and photos with Santa Claus.
From its humble beginnings three years ago as a small ensemble of local vehicles, Santa, and a Severn Township fire truck, the parade has since grown into a bonafide community event, said Ward 4 Coun. Wanda Minnings.
“It's just grown into something that's really good,” she told OrilliaMatters. “It's one of the few times throughout the year where we encourage everybody to just come outside (and) line up along Cumberland Road, and then they all pile into into the church … and just have a great time.”
Besides money donated from local ratepayers groups for candy canes, Minnings said the event comes together with little more than community time and initiative.
The Christmas trees that lined the streets this year, for example, were built from scrap wood.
“They were just built out of scrap trim,” Minnings said. “Somebody in the neighbourhood had a heated garage, and last Sunday we all just gathered there and figured it out.”
Local businesses, community members, and the fire department put together floats, and the church donates its space and refreshments following the parade.
As a fairly tight-knit neighbourhood, Minnings said many of the local children are shocked to learn that Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus already know their names.
“Because they’re in the neighbourhood, they know the kids’ names, and it's really awesome because they go, ‘That was the real Santa,’” she said.
Beyond putting together the event, Minnings said the community also comes together to help out the neighbourhood’s less fortunate with food and gift donations.
“The very first year we did it, three years ago, as we were driving through the neighbourhood … people were coming up to us with bags of canned goods and groceries as a donation, and we never really even considered that,” she said. “The second year, we actually had a donation box. We expanded it to food, toys and gifts.”
Last year, Minnings said the donations benefited one local family, but there will be enough to help out two this year.
“We work with the school, and we work with a few people in the community, like the church, and it's very anonymous,” she said. “We'll have somebody just give an address and drop it off.”
Minnings, who moved to Cumberland Beach from Barrie six years ago, said the community feel in her neighbourhood is something she’s happy to be part of.
“I've never experienced anything like this,” she said.
During 2024 budget deliberations, Minnings said Severn Township council approved grant funding for the West Shore Events Committee, formed recently by a community member, which will provide the parade with a small budget next year.
