by Sandy Burns, Brianne Scott, Matthew Roy,
North Dundas Parade of Lights Committee
The North Dundas Parade of Lights Committee would like to thank everyone who helped make this year’s ‘Display of Lights’ a success.
This year, we once again held a stationary, drive-by parade, this time located at the South Mountain Fairgrounds. Over the two nights the event took place, Community Food Share and the North Dundas Christmas Fund collected donations at the front gate. Over the weekend, they collected over $5,300 and approximately 400 pounds of food. The monetary donations will be divided between the two organizations.
The planning committee would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Mountain Township Agricultural Committee for not only allowing us to use its grounds, but for also playing an active role in helping us plan, prepare and execute this event. We couldn’t have done this without them.
A huge thank you also goes out to Kim Hogeveen, who emceed our event on a live radio station, Ed Duncan for assisting us with getting the main stage for one of our bands and our emcee, and to the Winchester Campus of Southgate Church for giving out free hot chocolate to spectators at the exit.
Thank you also to all the vendors and volunteers who participated in this year’s Vendor Fair.
We would also like to thank our sponsors, float participants, and parade volunteers. It takes each and every one of you to make this a success.
Although we didn’t have as many entries this year because of the pandemic, the ones we did get were very creative. We had 18 floats this year, and choosing our Float Contest winners is a task the planning committee takes very seriously. Entries are judged on a number of criteria, including creativity, originality, effort, and detail.
Here are the winners of this year’s Float Contest:
Best Overall: E.C. Carruthers
Best Business: Topline Trailers
Best Non-Profit: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 108
Best Agricultural: International Plowing Match
Best Animal Float: The Capital Cowgirls Drill Team
Most Lights: Kim Heuff Real Estate
People’s Choice: The Capital Cowgirls Drill Team
Most Original: Rideau-St. Lawrence/Navan Veterinary Services
Winners receive a gift basket with items from local businesses. Congratulations to all our winners.
Even a stationary parade isn’t truly a Christmas parade without Santa, and we’re very grateful that he was able to travel here once again to make our event even more joyous. When he lost his ‘sleigh’ atop a fire truck on both nights due to fire calls, he decided to approach vehicles instead to talk with kids of all ages, making for a truly magical experience for all our spectators. Thank you, Santa!
Last, but not least, thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy the ‘Display of Lights’ and the Vendor Fair. You’re the reason we do this. We look forward to seeing all of you back again next year when we return to a traditional parade in Winchester.
Merry Christmas!
