Welcome MessageWelcome to the Santa Claus Parade Website:
My name is Bob Fennell and I am the current chair of the Santa Claus Parade committee.
I have been a member for the past several years in various roles and have seen many changes over the period.
Technology being what it is has given us the opportunity to create our own website (Sudbury Santa Claus Parade), so we can re-visit our past and present parades at the touch of a key. Thus we can look back on memories of past parades as well as getting ideas for future ones. Recently we received an email from Ron Bailey (Chairman/Marshal) who helped us with a little history of the parades begin, which was always a little unclear to us. He advised that the first Santa Claus Parade took place in 1958. That the reasons for it's inception was to bring a distraction and some joy to the city that was in the midst of a long strike by one of it's major employers. Mr Bailey advising that he (because of being involved in like parades in other community's got involved) and with the help of Bob Bateman, Ray Poratto, the Junior Chamber of Commerce (Joycees) worked and sponsored this first time event. With this new information we can now say without a doubt that we are over fifty years old.
Our committee has evolved and our parade has grown to the point that it is one of the largest and perhaps one of the best in Northern Ontario. This has only been made possible because of the large community involvement with hundreds of volunteers, participants and sponsors coming forward. Thus it is the largest single attended event in our city with an estimated attendance of over thirty thousand spectators each year.
The core parade committee is made up of volunteers who donate their time and put forth their efforts year after year to continue with a longstanding wonderful community tradition. Our committee is able to draw on the experience of dedicated community members.
We are very fortunate to be able to draw from their 20-15-10 year's commitment and from newly enthusiastic joined members to the parade committee.
Every year, the committee strives to enhance the parade to bring the utmost of enjoyment to all. Since the overwhelming success of it's 1st "Night" Parade in 2000, the committee is very excited with presenting the City of Greater Sudbury with a Night Parade, traditionally held on every third Saturday in November.
The festivities begin in the City's downtown core, highlighted with events for the spectator's entertainment prior to the start of the Parade. At 5:30 p.m., a spectacle of lights begins which quickly brings the understanding of the Parade's theme to a reality. The procession of floats and participants proceed through the downtown streets lighting up the night-sky, as music and children's cheers can be heard.
At this point I must reiterate that in order to achieve our ambitious goal, our committee relies on the generous support of various sponsors to pay parade-associated costs. We would like to take this opportunity to say "thank you" to our long-time and first-time sponsors.
Of course, our parade could not be the great success that it is without the involvement and dedication of parade participants-float builders, marchers, band members, clowns and media.
We hope you enjoyed visiting our website and we look forward to seeing you at this year's Greater Sudbury Santa Claus Parade where great fun, beautiful floats, bands and marching groups await you!
Yours very truly,
Bob Fennell (Chair)
Santa Claus Parade Committee
