By Brandon Mayer
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
North Grenville and North Dundas will hold Christmas parades this year to start off a much-anticipated holiday season that should see fewer overall pandemic restrictions than last year. North Grenville’s Santa Claus Parade will take place in Kemptville on November 20, beginning at 4pm, following a different route than normal to allow more space for roadside spectators to socially distance. The 4 km route begins at the Kemptville Campus, heading west on Concession, north on Hurd, east on Clothier, south on Prescott, and west on Concession. The parade will end back at the Campus.
In North Dundas, the event will deviate from tradition for the second year in a row due to safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The traditional Parade of Lights, which has taken place in Winchester for many years, has been re-branded as the “Display of Lights” again this year. The event will be a stationary parade, with floats parked and event goers driving through to see the display. One significant change this year is that the event will take place at the South Mountain Fairgrounds in the town of South Mountain, instead of Winchester. The Display of Lights will take place on two separate days – December 3, from 7-9 pm, and December 4, from 5-9 pm. The event entrance will be on County Road 3.
As is usual with the North Dundas event, there will be other happenings on December 4. There will be a local vendor show from 9 am to 4 pm. Fries for Charity will be on site at the parade accepting cash donations for boxes of fries which will be delivered to customers’ cars upon exiting the parade. In anticipation of the event, local stores will also soon be carrying toques marked with the North Dundas Parade of Lights logo, at a cost of $10 each.
Donations of cash and non-perishable food items for the Community Food Share and the North Dundas Christmas Fund will be accepted at the parade entrance. The annual float contest will run again, with prizes awarded for eight different “best float” categories.
Those interested in registering a float for the Kemptville parade, or volunteering at the parade, can visit https://www.explorenorthgrenville.ca/events/1121/2021-santa-claus-parade for more information. Anyone with questions can email kemptvilledisctrictca@gmail.com. For anyone seeking more information about the North Dundas Display of Lights, or for those interested in volunteering, various relevant phone numbers and email addresses can be found at https://northdundasparadeoflights.ca/contact/.