By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
‘Twas the month before Christmas, and all through the town, everyone lined the streets, because the Santa Parade was going down.
Traveling down Sandusky Ave. the Santa Parade returned to the City of Bucyrus Friday evening for the annual Christmas tradition bigger than ever. Santa Parade organizer Carolyn Ann Smith explained what goes into organizing the event.
“I make about 300 phone calls, I do the first series and the backup. I do the costumes. We have little girls from 5 years old to 21 years old, some have never worn an evening gown before,” Smith said. “We always have a lot of projects to do, it varies from year to year, but this year has been the biggest parade we have had yet. It has been fabulous, just fabulous. The response and the calls we have gotten… I love doing it, I really, really love doing it.”
Smith noted that her favorite part of the parade is seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces watching the parade.
While the weather was very unseasonable, the parade featured numerous local businesses and organizations presenting the the normal Christmas fare including elves, Grinches, and snowmen to the not so normal Christmas sightings as Crawford Park District Naturalist Lisa Bogard traversed the parade with a slithery friend.
While the onlookers enjoyed the free candy and sights of the parade, there was one person who everyone was waiting to see, the jolly old elf from the North Pole himself, Santa Claus. Claus rounded out the parade coming to town not in a sleigh driven by eight reindeer, but a carriage drawn by a matching pair of draft horses.
Following the parade cousins Hannah and Wyatt Voorheis explained what they enjoyed most about the parade.
“Tonight my favorite part was Santa,” Hannah said.
“Yeah, Santa,” Wyatt added.
Brothers Daren and Christopher Yaussy spoke about their favorite part of the parade.
“My favorite part of the Santa Parade was giving out the candy,” Christopher said.
“Mine was the same,” Daren added.
Following the parade, Santa entered his house on the square to listen to Christmas requests from the good boys and girls.
Related Photo Gallery: 2016 Bucyrus Santa Parade