Despite restrictions in place across the province, Santa Claus is still making time to stop by Okotoks ahead of his Christmas Eve run this year.
Alberta Health Services initially indicated the Town would not be able to host the man in red in its traditional form due to the number of families that tend to gather roadside to see his entourage pass, but a new plan has been devised to keep everyone safe and still bring holiday cheer to Okotoks residents.
“Santa has actually assisted us in committing to two separate nights in our town and to extend the routes to cover much more of our community and to go deeper into our neighbourhoods,” said Kelly Stienwand, Okotoks protective services director.
As usual, Santa will fly into town and leave his reindeer at the fire hall to rest while he takes to the Town’s 1956 parade fire truck, which will be decked out in lights with music blaring, and Okotoks emergency services personnel will escort him through town with sirens wailing and lights flashing to draw attention of residents.
The parade will venture through residential roads south of the Sheep River on Dec. 23 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and then travel through neighbourhoods north of the Sheep on Dec. 24 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Routes will not be published and the Santa Tracker will not be live this year to ensure spontaneous outdoor gatherings do not occur, said Stienwand.
“There was a real concern that people would try to leave their homes to try to find a better vantage point to see the Santa escort,” he said.
He said Santa and the Okotoks emergency services crew have committed to ensuring the parade goes much deeper into neighbourhoods than it normally would, and everyone should have the opportunity to see it pass from the comfort of their own home.
“Families are asked to enjoy Santa’s drive-by from their own property, porch or balcony,” said Stienwand. “Santa is asking everyone not to gather and wants to ensure his visit does not put the health of any of our citizens at risk.”
He said the Town is pleased to be able to offer a coveted Christmas tradition in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions that recently came into effect banning gatherings.
The pandemic has created challenges for many community events, he said, and the Town is glad to be able to bring Santa to Okotoks in 2020.
“We’re very grateful to the hard work that AHS has put in and the supports they’ve given us to find creative ways to ensure that we can deliver this parade in a safe manner,” said Stienwand. “We’ve been working really hard with Alberta Health Services to find an alternative way to safely have Santa visit Okotoks and to bring this much-needed holiday cheer to our families in our community.”
