Kris Kringle to visit city on Dec. 6

Marco Vigliotti One of the surest signs of the impending holiday season is upon us, with the Sarnia Kinsmen Society preparing for the Santa Claus Parade on Dec. 6.

Marco Vigliotti

One of the surest signs of the impending holiday season is upon us, with the Sarnia Kinsmen Society preparing for the Santa Claus Parade on Dec. 6.

“We normally have 45 to 50 floats, and that’s been pretty standard over the years,” said parade organizer Bob Marks.

The parade will start 6 p.m. at the corner of Exmouth and Christina streets, before traveling south on Christina to Wellington Street.

Marks said the spectacular lighting combinations on the floats and the accompanying Christmas music are the big lure for those attending the nighttime festivities.

Students from Sarnia Christian School will be positioned at the head of the parade to collect donations for the Inn of the Good Shepherd. Postal workers will also line the street, taking in children’s letters to Santa.

The parade attracts thousands of Sarnians to the downtown core, according to Marks, who notes that 2014 is the Kinsmen Society’s 34th year sponsoring the event.

The crowd lining up on the route is often three to four people deep for the event, he added.

Most of the Kinsmen Society’s $14,000 parade budget is earmarked for transporting the out-of-town musical talent, Marks said.

The bands set to perform hail from Rochester, Port Huron and Memphis, Mich.