Fort Macleod residents are in the Christmas spirit with the 38th annual Santa Claus Parade quickly approaching.
The parade is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, with a variety of surrounding festivities planned.
“The excitement has been building for weeks already,” parade co-ordinator Ashley Nelson said. “It’s shaping up to be a great parade.”
Nine bands have committed to the 38th annual version of the Santa Claus Parade.
“All the big marching bands that we have all come to love and look forward to each year are coming,” Nelson said.
That includes the Calgary Stampede, Calgary Round-Up, and Calgary Stetson Show Band, with close to 600 band members between them.
The Chestermere High School Band came last year to bring in Santa Claus and will be back again this year.
Also joining the parade are the Spirit of Alberta Band from Magrath, the Calgary Children’s Choir, the Legion Pipe Band, Cardston High School Band, the LCI Gold Jazz Band and the Bridge City Highlanders Pipe Band.
The parade theme submitted by contest winner Edith Wray Svanes is, “There’s Snow Place like Home for the Holidays.”
“There really is no place most of us would rather be than at home, surrounded by friends and family, at Christmas time,” Nelson said. “And, as the song goes, we tend to dream of a white Christmas too. I hope registrants will enjoy getting creative and I can’t wait to see what they come up with.”
The Christmas festival gets under way Friday evening with a variety of activities including carolling and lighting of the community Christmas tree at 7 p.m. at the west end of Main Street.
Businesses will offer late-night shopping on Friday, Nov. 29 in the annual Moonlight Madness event.
Other activities on Friday night include horse-drawn wagon rides, a petting zoo and bonfires on Main Street.
Fort Macleod council will serve stew and hot dogs from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Devonian Walkway on Nov. 29.
Fort Macleod Allied Arts will hold its annual Giant Craft Sale at the Fort Macleod and District Community Hall.
The sale runs from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 29 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30.
The A-T Children’s Project will again hold its pancake breakfast from 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 in the lot at the corner of Main Street and Third Avenue.
The 38th annual Santa Claus Parade gets under way at 11 a.m., moving north on Second Avenue before turning east on Main Street.
The Knights of Columbus will run their food barn from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 30 at Holy Cross hall.
The Rotary Club of Fort Macleod will conduct its annual fund-raising auction at 2 p.m. at the Southern Alberta Livestock Exchange (SALE).
Also at 2 p.m. Nov. 30, a free showing of the 2018 movie The Grinch will take place at the Empress Theatre.
The annual family dance is 7-9 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Fort Macleod and District Community Hall.
The weekend wraps with the Fort Macleod Alliance Church’s annual Christmas in the Parking Lot celebration at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1.