Niagara-on-the-Lake is gearing up for its annual Christmas Parade in Old Town on Saturday, Dec. 14.
Starting at 11 a.m., floats and participants will make their way along Castlereagh, Wellington, Byron/Prideaux, Simcoe and Queen streets.
But the parade itself wouldn’t be possible without a team of dedicated volunteers working on the town’s parade committee.
Each year, buttons are sold along the route to help offset parade costs and this year’s design was done by one of NOTL’s most beloved artists, Trisha Romance.
The buttons are on sale now in stores across town and along the parade route on the day of the festivities.
Romance’s beautiful artwork “Star of Wonder,” is available on the pins for $3 at Sweets and Swirls Community Centre, the Sandtrap, Avondale on Mary Street, Starbucks in Old Town, Hendricks Independent, Tim Horton’s in Virgil, Balzacs, The Junction in St. Davids and Legion Branch 124.
Buttons are also available at Phil’s Independent in Virgil, where wonder Phil Leboudec has initiated a new button drive this year where shoppers will be asked if they wish to buy a button and have it added to their bill.
“We really appreciate Phil’s efforts to help us meet our goal this year,” said John Strecker, chair of the parade’s donation committee.
Earlier this year, Romance was granted the inaugural key to the town for contributing to the cultural and artistic heritage of NOTL.
“We approached her because of the honour she got by receiving the key to the town and thought it would be appropriate to use her ‘Star of Wonder’ illustration,” said Strecker.
The Christmas Parade is a wonderful tradition that brings us all together to celebrate the spirit of the season,” said Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa.
“If you’ve never experienced it, I encourage you to join us this year — it’s a heartwarming way to start the holidays and feel the strong sense of community that makes our town so special.”
