What started in the era of the pandemic as a way to bring some holiday cheer to the people of Virgil has become an annual tradition about to celebrate its fifth birthday.
The Virgil Christmas tractor parade is back in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Thursday, Dec. 11 and will see a procession of illuminated and decorated tractors, trucks and other farm vehicles make their way through the village in a festive celebration of the holidays.
For Dorothy Soo-Wiens, it doesn’t matter how old you are — whether you’re eight or 80, the parade is a festive event everyone can enjoy.
And, for her, it inspires the kind of excitement that makes her feel young again.
“It’s like you’re like a kid, all starry-eyed,” she said. “For me, it’s all about just being a child again and all those feelings of going to something that just brings you joy.”
Soo-Wiens has co-run the parade for five years now, alongside her husband, Coun. Erwin Wiens. They have help from the Niagara Lions Club, of which they’re both members.
In its first year, 2020, 19 tractors were part of the parade, which was put together as a Christmas celebration in the absence of NOTL’s annual Santa Claus parade, due to COVID-19.
Since then, things have grown exponentially — last year, 74 vehicles were part of the procession.
“We’re thinking we’ll have as many as that,” Soo-Wiens said of this year’s parade. “Every year, you want to have a little bit more.”
Right now, dozens in Niagara’s agricultural community are readying for the parade, stringing up and attaching lights to their vehicles that are going to take part.
It’s not just the farming community in Niagara-on-the-Lake, says Soo-Wiens: people from Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Vineland and Jordan also take part in the festivities.
Wiens, whose farm has five vehicles participating, said aside from the parade itself, everyone enjoys the preparation leading up to the parade of decorating their tractors and trucks.
“When they’re putting those units together, the excitement behind it and going to Canadian Tire and buying all the lights and all the decorations, it is so much fun,” he said. “Everybody’s getting a kick out of it.”
Unfortunately for the couple, during the event itself, they’re busy at the arena, marshalling the vehicles out of the parking lot and into the streets.
“We can watch them all coming back, which is nice,” Soo-Wiens said.
For the many who do venture outside and line up and down the streets of central Virgil, they’re treated to a spectacle — the drivers, in return, are happy to have a captive audience, Wiens said.
“Every one of them say the same thing, that it’s so exciting to see all the faces and everybody waving,” he said.
“When we first started out with 19 people, there was apprehension, and now we have people wanting to get in because of how much fun they hear it is.”
For those who want to see the parade, the route is as follows: the procession leaves from Centennial Arena at 6 p.m. sharp, heading onto Four Mile Creek Road, up to Pleasant Manor, then Elden Street, Penner Street / Line 1 Road, Concession 4, Line 2 Road, then back to Four Mile Creek Road before returning to the arena.
“No matter how old you are, a child, an adult, midlife or senior, we just love parades, we love lights, we love things that celebrate Christmas,” said Soo-Wiens.
Those interested in getting involved can contact the couple at erwinanddorothywiens@gmail.com.
