Christmas came early for North Battleford councillors looking for an idea to revitalize the downtown area during the holiday season.
At their June 28 regular meeting, councillors heard from Sheri Woolridge of the Boys and Girls Club. She was there to pitch the idea of a Christmas Parade through the downtown area during the holiday season.
The idea, as Woolridge explained in her presentation at council, was to create "excitement and a sense of community in our downtown district."
She pointed to the parade as something that would fit in with the "Four Point Approach" expressed in Chris Doll's report to council on how to revitalize the downtown core, presented at the previous council meeting. A parade would sell a positive image of the downtown district and "create a positive atmosphere," she said.
The proposed parade would be a partnership between the city of North Battleford and the Boys and Girls Club, however, all businesses, organizations and groups would be invited to participate with float entries. The route would encompass most of the downtown business area.
A competition for downtown businesses to hold a contest for the most "Christmasy" storefront or window is being proposed, encouraging stores to take pride in their location and help kick off the downtown shopping and business for the Christmas season. The parade would likely be held around the time when the Christmas shopping season kicks off, likely on a Sunday afternoon in late November.
A letter inviting Santa Claus to participate in the parade would be published in the local paper ahead of time to promote the event.
Plans are still in the early stages, but the parade proposal drew early support and enthusiasm from a number of city councillors including Rhonda Seidel, who said she was behind the Boys and Girls Club's parade idea "100 per cent."
She also praised the organization for showing initiative in proposing a parade, saying "your organization is showing leadership. You are building civic pride."
