Santa Claus Came to our City Centre

Ho, ho, ho my! What a parade!

Santa made his list and checked it twice before heading to the City Centre on Sunday to the delight of residents and visitors lining the route.

The Jolly Old Elf was, of course, the star attraction at the parade, featuring entries from numerous community business and organizations. It began at 4:00 p.m., starting on 100 Ave. at 102 St. and travelled east to 100 St., then south to 99 Ave. to Revolution Place.

There, Whiskey Coalition had the crowd outside in an upbeat mood with its repertoire of rock, country, blues, and alternative music.

Members of the Storm hockey team gave out free cookies and hot chocolate and the Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association was on hand to distribute giveaways.

Mayor Bill Given flipped the switch for the official tree lighting then Santa moved inside the venue for free photos while the Grinch movie was featured on a big screen.

Battle of the Badges

Bragging rights were on the line between the Fire and Police Departments in the first annual Battle of the Badges, which raised money for the Talk to Me Society and the 3D Children’s Charity. Attendance recorded over 1,100 fans raising a whopping $8600.00 for these deserving charities. This year, the big win went to the Fire Departments.

Special Recognition

We extend our appreciation to Wapiti Gravel Suppliers, Seven Generations and Crystal Catering for donating the cookies and hot chocolate and to the Storm players for being our parade route ambassadors. Thank you to CUPE for annually marshalling the parade and to the City of Grande Prairie for ensuring Santa’s arrival and collaborating on the festivities at Revolution Place.

Kudos to Snapshot Studio, William Vavrek Photography and Maj Photography for providing photography services.