The quaint, picturesque village of Coldwater decked every hall Saturday night as it welcomed old Saint Nick.
Featuring plenty of animals, live bands and a wide range of floats, hundreds lined Coldwater’s Main Street as the annual Santa Claus parade wound its way to the village’s iconic mill.
“We always come to the Coldwater parade,” Melissa Fletcher said as her sons Reed, 4, and two-year-old Lincoln waited in their wagon for not just a glimpse of Santa Claus, but also their father John who participated in the parade with other local firefighters.
“They get to see Daddy with all his friends. Reed is excited about Christmas. He’s old enough now to understand what’s going on and Lincoln just follows along with his big brother.”
Prior to the main parade, participants were treated to a candlelit walk featuring the Three Wise Men, an angel and about 10 animals, including donkeys, sheep and alpacas.
“I like being involved with this parade,” said Carolyn Cook, who lends the animals who live at her Severn Township hobby farm. “It’s at night, which is really nice, and it has such a great community feel.”
For others like Washago’s Theresa Michell and her daughter, Keira, this marked their first taste of the Coldwater offering.
“It’s a great little community,” said Michell, whose other daughter Madison plays clarinet with the Orillia Secondary School band that entertained parade attendees with a range of Yuletide favourites as the float traversed the route.
Kellie McNamara travelled from Port McNicoll to check out the parade with her five-year-old stepdaughter Aliyn Sip and Aliyn’s grandparents, who are up for a visit.
“It’s a nice family event,” McNamara said. “We thought we should check it out.”
