The Beat December 2019 Vol 4, Issue 11

The Real Elves
of Santa’s Parade of Lights
We all know that Orléans’ favorite
parade is organized by the Ottawa
Professional Firefighters Association
but did you know Santa’s Parade
of Lights started off as a daytime
parade through the streets of
Gloucester in 1984?
Santa’s Parade of Lights is a
spin-off of the former partnership
between the Gloucester Professional
Firefighters Association and the
Gloucester Chamber of Commerce.
For 14 years there was a daytime
parade through the streets of
Gloucester from City Center Drive
and Ogilvie Road through to Place
Once again the Ottawa
Professional Firefighters
Association will be
hosting SANTA’S PARADE
OF LIGHTS on Saturday
November 30, 2019
at 6 PM on St-Joseph
Boulevard in Orléans.
Please come out and join
us on Parade Day!
d’Orleans. That’s right! It was over 12
kilometers long! Although the parade
had a fair crowd, the distance was
much too long and there was never a
real city center in Gloucester.
In the late 1990s, Bob Rainboth, the
chairman of Santa’s Parade of Lights,
suggested to his co-chair at the time,
James Anderson, that they approach
the parade a little differently. He
proposed holding the parade at
night with lighted floats. He pitched
it as something you would see at
Disneyland, but with a hometown
twist - cold and snow!
In 1998, the Ottawa Firefighters
were asked to take over the reins in
organizing and producing the parade
at this time and, unfortunately, Mr.
Anderson passed away only one
week later. This kind gentleman was
the father and organizer of the very
first Christmas parade in Gloucester.
He was the guy you would see in
the golf cart identified as “Head
Honcho”. Mr. Anderson was truly an
outstanding, community-driven man.
This is when the real planning began
for the firefighters! They scrambled
to make everyone aware of the new
parade configuration. With little
more than a mention of the new
format, the past parade float entries
were enthusiastic and quickly came
up with visions of what they would
produce for the new nighttime
parade happening in only three
months.
The new parade route started at
Youville Drive and ended at Prestone
Drive in Orléans. The creativity seen
among the floats along the three
kilometre stretch was unbelievable.
What folks can do with simple
Christmas lights and an old pickup
truck is mind blowing. It has been
truly amazing to see what our
community comes up with each and
every year.
Annually, there are now about
150,000 spectators lining St-Joseph
Boulevard making it one of the
largest parades in the region!
Ottawa Firefighters collect donations
along the parade route. “We don’t
ask anything of the public directly,
however, if they are in a position to
help, we do collect new unwrapped
toys and cash along the route
which we use to buy more toys for
those less fortunate, so that all the
children within the city of Ottawa
have the opportunity to have a bright
Christmas morning.” explains Bob
Rainboth.
Santa’s Parade of Lights is often
referred to as our magical moving
light show through the streets of
Orléans. AND, let’s not forget the
best part of all. Santa, along with
his nine reindeer, never let their little
spectators down. It’s amazing what
a dedicated group of Firefighters,
engaged local businesses, and our
wonderful community can achieve
in the name of helping others at
Christmas. We are all elves at
Christmas!!
the beat le rythme ỳ 7