The man himself was very jolly as he greeted his adoring fans in the Whanganui Mainstreet Christmas Parade.
The man himself was very jolly as he greeted his adoring fans in the Whanganui Mainstreet Christmas Parade.
The weather forecast was all important last Saturday, but could we rely on its accuracy?
There were signs of showers, rumours of thunderstorms but, as it happened, nature did not rain on our parade.
The Mainstreet Christmas Parade went ahead, with all the cars, trucks, floats, costumes and personalities that make it an annual favourite in Whanganui.
With the parade set to begin at 2pm, crowds started lining Victoria Ave early, finding choice locations, prime spots from which to see and enjoy the passing spectacle. Some had brought their cars into the street so they could sit in the boot and watch the parade in comfort. Retailers stayed open to reap the afternoon’s benefits.
Then it began: it was carnival time. Police cars, lit up like the proverbial tree, and drivers wearing uniforms and smiles; brass band music; cars, trucks, trailers and all manner of decorated vehicles, loaded with people representing schools, charities, businesses, organisations and services.
Mayor Andrew Tripe passed by in Cinderella’s pumpkin coach. Some people walked, danced, moved to the beat of the music. Some ran, rode, performed gymnastic feats and others interacted with the crowd with high-fives and canine cuddles.
There was noise and music, air horns, drums, grunty growls from the big engines of muscle cars and giant trucks and quieter notes from smaller and older engines in vintage, classic and muscle cars.
Scouts and cubs, the Whanganui Boys’ and Girls’ Gym Club, they were all there, filling the street in their distinctive uniforms and costumes and showing how popular their organisations are. Kai Iwi School was well represented, and Amnesty International had a presence in the parade. Rural firefighters brought machines and people to the parade, handing out stickers to people along the way.
One of the restoration projects of the Men’s Shed was the Red Baron’s biplane.
But above the sound of all the things, people and vehicles, rose the squeals and screams of delight from the throats of the hundreds of children who stood at the edge of the street.
Then, the sight they were there to see. Father Christmas, Santa Claus, call him what you will, arrived near the tail of the parade, dressed in traditional red with white trim, big, bushy white beard, riding a sleigh pulled by his reindeer, and accompanied by a small entourage of elves.
Behind him, a percussion group rarked up the crowd and added punctuation marks to the climax of the Mainstreet Christmas Parade.
And, just as they passed by, signalling the end of the spectacle, a gentle rain began to fall.
