Nine days and counting; Santa Claus to touch down for city parade Dec. 5 CORNER BROOK CORY HURLEY The Western Star

From left, Kyle Brown, Caleigh Edwards, and Grace Joyce try their hands at the guitar in anticipation of the annual Christmas parade in Corner Brook, featuring the theme of A Country Christmas. — Star photo by Geraldine Brophy

Much that has to do with the annual Santa Claus Parade in Corner Brook lies in the tiny hands of Grade 3 students, and they rarely steer us wrong.

It has become an annual tradition leading up to the parade for the Corner Brook Lions Club to issue a contest to the city’s Grade 3 classes to name the theme. It’s a contest C.C. Loughlin classes are developing a reputation for winning.

This year that school’s Grade 3 class, under the tutelage of Patricia Edwards, submitted the winning entry, “A Country Christmas.” It was a variation to the theme, “A Rock and Roll Christmas,” that captured them last year’s prize.

Kyle Brown, a student in the class, said each student started offering his or her suggestion as to possible themes. Parade participants could have been playing baseball on West Street if he had his way with a sports Christmas theme, while there would have been whole a lot of shaking going on if another student’s theme of An Elvis Christmas was chosen.

He said the class narrowed it to eight themes and eventually the majority decided to submit “A Country Christmas.”

Classmate Caleigh Edwards thought the theme was chosen because it sounded good.

“Maybe it was because they both started with the letter C and both words sound good together,” she said, referring to country and Christmas.

Grace Joyce said it was selected because it continued with a theme of music, which is an integral part of any Christmas parade.

“We wanted to follow along with what was picked last year,” she said.

The class will be awarded a pizza party for its contribution.

“We were really happy because every single Grade 3 class in Corner Brook competed and we won,” Edwards said.

The students are now hoping to take in the 28th Annual Lions Club Santa Claus Christmas Parade, which will be held Dec. 5. It begins at 10 a.m. on Canada Games Drive, proceeding down University Drive, onto O’Connell Drive, then through to West Valley Road, to West Street, turning on Main Street, though Broadway, then upward onto Mount Bernard, and back to Canada Games Drive.

Penny Pike, parade organizer, is hoping the registration of floats picks up over the next week, so the parade will continue to be a spectacle for the hundreds of people who gather to watch it. There have been 40 floats registered, which is down 30 per cent from previous years, she said.

“I am not quite sure why they are down, probably the economy itself and manpower,” Pike said. “That’s my only real conclusion to it.

“It’s the Santa Claus parade. It’s a great way to advertise a business and one of the cheapest ways, but mainly it’s about community spirit. You get to see so many smiles on people’s faces and that is everything.”

Pike said a late push on candy donations has helped with the supply of donations they will hand out along the parade route. Same Day Courier will again be collecting food donations for the food bank, while Pike hadn’t received word on whether Canada Post will be collecting Santa Claus letters this year.

There will also be a table set up at the Greenwood Inn and Suites selling hot chocolate and a bake sale, from which the proceeds will be donated to the SPCA.

For further information on registering a float or donating candy, contact Penny Pike at one of the following numbers 639-1576 or 632-8386.