After pandemic cancellations in recent years, an annual holiday tradition will be returning this week to downtown Chatham.
The Santa Claus parade, presented by the Historic Downtown Chatham BIA, is slated to hit the streets this Friday, starting at 6:30 pm
Float staging will be held on Sandys Street beginning at 4:30 pm and will leave that area at 6:30 pm, making its way to King Street West before wrapping up at the WISH Centre.
For the past two years, there was no parade due to widespread COVID-19 gathering restrictions. Families instead had a chance to take part in physically distanced visits with Santa in front of the Downtown Chatham Center in 2021 and in the BIA parking lot in 2020.
People are invited to bring a lawn chair and sit along the route to watch floats entered by local businesses, organizations and non-profit groups.
Non-perishable goods and new toys will also be collected during the parade.
The singing/talking Christmas trees — Spruce Springsteen and Forest Stump — will be up on the balcony of the Capitol Theater before the parade makes its way down King Street.
Spruce and Forest will start their show at 6:30 pm, bantering back and forth and singing carols until the floats arrive.
For more information, including promotions by downtown merchants for the event, visit the Downtown Chatham Santa Claus Parade page on Facebook.