The Day Santa Blew Into Town...

Or more accurately ...The Day His Parade Blew Out.



In my last Blog, I mentioned George Coling's Station Wagon - with the Loud Speakers on Top and it brought back Memories of Brighton's Santa Claus Parade on a Cold, Windy Saturday in late November in the very early 1960s.



Those were the days, in our small community, when the Parade's music came from sources other than a marching band - hence the need for Station Wagon & Loud Speakers.



In the week's leading up to the grand event, various organizations worked diligently in the preparation of their respective Floats - local Church Organizations, Scouts and Guides, Various Service Groups and others.



As a young teen, I was a full fledged Scout and would be perched on the Scouting Float replete with bunting, paper streamers, a faux campfire and more. All placed on a flatbed farm wagon which was the norm for the Brighton Floats and each pulled by one of the local Farm Tractors.



We were to meet at the Public School Parking Lot, just to the East of Town, at 11 a.m. for final touch-ups and to line up. The Parade itself was schedule to head-out at 10 minutes to 12 in order to ensure that it reached the Town's Main Street sharply at noon.



Even as I walked down to the School Yard, children and their parents were beginning to line-up along the Main Street Route. Since Brighton, at the time was very rural, many of those families had travelled some miles to get there.



I mentioned it was cold, but that was not a big problem - other than for those lining up so early. Indeed, it was usually very cold for the Santa Claus Parade. The savings grace was that it did not take the Parade long to navigate Brighton's rather short Main Street.



No, the Big Problem that Day was the Wind: it was Relentless.



When I reached the school grounds, the Scout Float or what was left of it, was already there. The Bunting and Streamers were long gone though. Most of the Hay flooring had also vanished into the wind. Only the Faux Campfire, made from logs, remained.



As the minutes past, other Floats arrived but most had thrown in the towel in the face of the Gale and had headed back home - never reaching their intended destination. The 6 or so Floats which did brave it to the meeting place had been reduced to the bare boards of the Farm Wagon. The little of their remaining streamers and such, filled the air with an almost circus-like atmosphere.



They, in turn, slowly slunk off to their Winter Barns.



Left was only the Station Wagon and the motorized Santa Sleigh. In those days, The Sleigh was the only 'professional' float in the Parade and as such could withstand the wind.



Since a friend of mine - Allan, and I, had experience riding in the back of the Coling Station Wagon during recent Election Campaigns, we were chosen to operate the hand-cranked Victrola - an olde fashion record player (for those younger it performs the same function as a CD player / IPod); but with somewhat lesser quality.



Our music was even more bizarre - consisting of but 1 olde, scratchy 78 rpm recording of Gene Autry singing 'Rudolfe the Red Nose Reindeer'.



Off we set.

The Station Wagon in front with Santa directly behind holding on to his faux beard with all his might.

Not being held up by slow moving Floats, we travelled quickly along Highway Two - the old Trans Canada Highway which served as our Village's Main Street.

In no time we had reached the Business Section where the crowds had lined both sides - the Children viewing in awe - a jolly but wind blown Saint Nick.

I watched the parents' look of bewilderment - necks craning - in expectation of more. More Parade that is - but it was not happen.

We whistled though Town and ended up at the olde Town Hall where Santa doled out bags of Candy to all of the Excited Children. All of them - oblivious to the fact that they had just witnessed Brighton's shortest Santa Claus Parade ever.

The Parents were altogether another matter. They surrounded the poor Town Mayor and demanded that 'something be done' to avoid this type of embarrassment in the future.

And something was done. No future Parade suffered the ignominy experienced by that one in late November in the early 1960s. Future Parades contained more 'professional' floats.

But when I think back to that day - I can still see the excitement and smiles in the children's eyes.

And I was glad to have played a part in bringing them joy.

As I see it...

"Galagher"