Ottawa Valley Santa Claus parades return after three years
Santa Claus made his long awaited return to the Ottawa Valley, featuring in no less than three Christmas parades Saturday for the first time in three years.
The Cobden Santa Claus parade went Saturday afternoon, where Melanie Ly and her family, who moved to Cobden during the pandemic, got their first festive valley experience.
"We've been counting down the days for the parade so we are very excited," Ly said to CTV News.
"We've been able to do the farmer's market, which has been great, but other than that we haven't done very much. This will be our first big event out."
Renfrew County has been deprived of many large community events due to the pandemic, but the Santa Claus parades returned in full spirits for the first time since 2019.
"I think our main goal was to get the community back together after three years and people feeling comfortable and experiencing that Christmas parade again after a few years," said Andrea Runtz, who helped organize the Pembroke Santa Claus parade Saturday.
Despite the weather not setting the Christmas mood—with double-digit positive temperatures and sunshine—65 floats registered for Pembroke's retro-themed parade.
"I think old movies was definitely a big one," said Runtz.
"I know we have a float that's doing a National Lampoon's Christmas, old cartoon characters that were in childhood Christmas movies, so I think people are taking that theme and going back to their childhood Christmases and what was popular to them back when they were kids."
Santa's final stop in the Ottawa Valley Saturday was in Arnprior.
"You hear lots of comments about it on the street so I think everybody is ready for it," said Glenn Arthur, organizer of Arnprior's parade.
Fifty-five floats registered for the town's longest festive parade to date, which raised donations for the local food bank and paid tribute to former organizer Theresa Charron, who has since passed.
"A big pair of shoes to fill, without a doubt," said Arthur.
"Once the parade gets rolling, it will feel like Christmas is coming."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.