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Wednesday, November 12, 1997 COMMUNITY CALENDAR • LIFESTYLES • SPORTS • COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENCE • TV LISTINGS Here Comes Santa Claus by Gillian Barfoot Staff Writer A flatbed trailer waits at the end of Betty McGregor's driveway on Scugog Street in Bowmanvillc. It is Saturday afternoon, and the trailer is the centre of a hive of activity. McGregor picks up a photograph of a Noah's Ark float, explaining that her son saw the float in a church's yard somewhere between here and Ottawa. When it was time for St. Paul's United Church to decide on a float design for this year's Santa Claus Parade, they agreed to create create their own Noah's Ark, using the photograph as a guide. The church's reaction was "sure, we can do anything," anything," she said, adding that, although they have no budget, people volunteered volunteered to help and donated building materials. Several men hold a long piece of plywood at the side of the trailer while they decide where to place the portholes. Then they measure, drill and saw out the holes. "Tire idea is to get it all together this weekend," McGregor explained. Across town, Kathy Porter describes progress on the float she and staff volunteers from The Fifth Wheel are helping to create create for the parade. This is the third year the Fifth Wheel staff has entered a float. Last year, the topic was Christmas with Barney, and this year's topic is Toy Story. "We're using a bed made' of bales of hay, which will be covered with a big sheet with two bales for the pillows," Porter said, explaining that the toys -- including Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Little Bo-Peep -- will be sitting on the oversized bed. The staff members help out when they can, and most work on the float two or three nights before the parade, she added, "We go to the parade every year. We're just out to have a good time and support the parade." Community support is essential for a non-commercial non-commercial Santa Claus parade, says Valerie Gardiner, a 10-ycar veter an of the parade committee and assistant to Don Welsh, chair of the committee. committee. "We allow no advertising advertising at all -- not even the municipality's name," she explained. "We don't want a bunch of trucks and vans just driving driving in the parade with a name on them." Valerie Gardiner She admitted that there has been pressure over the 36-year-history of the parade to relax the no sign, no name rule, but pointed out that the annual parade always attracts huge crowds.,. "Even on the coldest, wettest, snowiest day, we have about 10,000 people in town for the parade," she said. "Obviously, we're doing something right." The seven-member committee, which takes care of costumes, makeup, makeup, band reservations, floats and fillers, and public public relations, begins meeting meeting every May. "I guess the secret to this committee is that we all work well together. We all know what we have to do and how to get it done," Gardiner said. "The (Royal Canadian) Legion are also a big part of the committee. They sell buttons. The majority of the cost of the bands -- that's the only thing we have to pay for -- is covered covered by the buttons." Many of the bands -- from as far as Toronto and Cobourg -- are popular favourites which return every year. "People call us and ask us to be in the parade," Gardiner added. "We're very popular." All the floats in the parade arc local, and are entered by businesses, service service clubs, churches, schools and individuals. The rules are simple -- including the cardinal regulation regulation that bans all signs, logos or business names. The registration sheets are mailed out in September. There is no entrance fee. "We've never had to refuse any floats," she said, adding that the committee committee is looking for new volunteers to help out. ■ "The delight of the children, children, that's what makes it all worthwhile. Look at l'ÿ& 1 9>m tî^Vr $0*0^ * UWi&iii iSikî'iSilp^ t ,1 | * ' ' kSiSsSs*:,! ... \ ; 'm& v. kt#®' ' iWtifaS M 1)1 •*' ■""■■'kS' Betty McGregor holds the top of the St. Paul's United dove which will perch on Church Noah's Ark float. their faces when they see Santa Claus. They get so excited -- they really do!" For Karen Ncilson and her friends, entering the Santa Claus parade is a chance for their older kids to get excited by participating. participating. "They're getting too old to sit and watch. They really enjoy being in it. And so do we -- we're all kids at heart." The parade bug bit the families a couple of years ago when they entered as The Grinch That Stole Christmas and took the prize for best filler. This year's topic is futuristic, and although the costumes aren't completed yet, Neilson promises spaceships and aliens with' big eyes. Inside Clarington's parade storage barn, Marian Henning has just attached a skirt of pleated cloth to the outside edge of the Third Bowmanvillc Brownies' float. The float, which features features a full-sized Flintstonc car -- along with Dino -- will carry Fred, Wilma, Barney, Pebbles and Bam-Bam on parade day, she explains. Henning, who has led the Brownie troop for 30 years, has been involved in their annual entry in the Santa Claus parade for 28 years. ' v She described the process of researching the float subject, finding the building materials -- in this çase some dead trees and old boards -- and making sure the costumes are big enough to have room for snowsuits underneath. underneath. "Next year, the project is a new fence," she added. Meanwhile, back at the McGregor house on Scugog Street, the St. Paul's United Church team is adding its finishing touches to Noah's Ark. The ark, which will contain contain a variety of animals -- adults and children dressed up as animals, that is -- will be topped by a large rainbow. McGregor holds the dove which will perch on the ark's roof as she watches the float take shape. Without a doubt, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. MEET THE FLINTSTONES - Marian Henning shows off the Flintstoncs' float she helped to create for her Third Bowmanvillc Brownie pack. SHIP AHOY -- Larry Welsh (left) makes a fine cut with his power saw as his son, Chris, lends a hand. They are helping to build Noah's Ark (seen in the background) along with other volunteers from St. Paul's United Church. Volunteer Recalls Earliest Parades On the Saturday of the first Bowmanvillc Santa Claus parade, the weather was cold. The crowds lining the parade route cheered when the Flintstoncs float passed by. The guys were all wearing skimpy Flintstone costumes costumes and showing a lot of bare skin. Everyone loved them. The year was 1961. It was Bowmanvillc's first Santa Claus Parade and the crowd was excellent, excellent, recalls Carson Elliott. He was responsible for bringing most of that first parade from Belleville. "That very first parade, everything that came -- every float, every clown and about 90 per cent of the parade -- came from Belleville," lie explained. "If Belleville hadn't helped out, it would have fizzled out." Elliott and Belleville Fire Chief Gerald Vance started the Belleville Santa Claus parade in 1957. Then, in 1961, it was Bowmanville's turn. "The main thing, is that we had a good one to start with, and then there was no looking back," Elliott recalled. "When people saw it was the foundation foundation of a good parade, everyone got behind and contributed. There was never a problem raising money," When it was time to plan for the 1962 parade, all the service clubs got involved and started building their floats in the summer, he said. Bowmanvillc's own Santa Claus float was built at the Boy's Training School -- the current site of St. Stephen's Secondary School -- and the parade committee travelled all over to get people involved in the parade. "Everybody got an idea and they phoned to sec if they could put something something in the parade," he says. "Voluntccrism was a big part of the parade, Farmers would loan their wagons after the harvest season was over. It was a real community spirit thing -- it still is." He described how the committee members got a tip about a rural woman who trained dogs, but when they went to visit they were chased off by geese. And how they borrowed a number of goals and dyed their coats different colours with dyes donated by the town's Powell Chemical Company. The Lindsay Cavaliers -- a marching trumpet band -- were invited, along with a popular Greek band from Toronto and the Tyrone Orange Lodge Fife and Drum band. The Legion brought in their band from Oshawa. There were baton twirlers, dancing schools, clowns giving out candy, and horses dressed up in their finery. finery. "We did a tot of crazy stuff that made a hit with the kids," Elliott said. "There arc so many untold stories. We had so much fun getting prepared." From the beginning, the committee decided there would be no advertising on the floats or any other entries. "We made it clear from the beginning and it paid off," he said. "From then on, it was never a problem getting support for the parade." The highlight of all the Santa Claus parades was in 1962, when the Govcrnal General's Horse Guards were in the procession, procession, Elliott said. Pic also described how the new Canadian president of Simpson-Scars -- which had opened an office in Bowmanvillc -- ended up paying paying the bill. "I talked to him. He said, 'You will never get them to go out to anything other than a vice-regal affair.' Nevertheless, the store president promised that if the parade committee could get the Horse Guards, his firm would pay for them, Elliott recalled. "It made a big hit. They came down by truck and stayed at Leroy Short's farm." In 1963, he donated a trophy cup for best float, then another cup was donated in 1964 for the best junior float. For many years, the high point of the parade was Ed Leslie, who played Santa Claus. "He was the star of the show. He always went after the parade to the children's children's ward at the hospital," he said. "He would wave at the hospital on the way by, and they knew he would he back." IEEŒI i a - - igaaa rasas mm mum mwa