Canada kick's off Christmas around the world with one of the largest parades in the world - The Santa Claus Parade
Toronto, Ontario - The annual Santa Claus Parade has been enjoyed by millions of Canadians for more than a century, and for decades by television viewing families from around the world. Now anyone around the world hooked up to the Internet will be able to see a recorded version next week. The parade was started in 1905 as a publicity stunt by the Timothy Eaton Department store. The first year Santa arrived on foot, but by 1910 he was in a carriage was drawn by 8 reindeer imported from Labrador. With funding by Eaton's for 77 years, the parade continued to grow in popularity and size, adding floats with nursery rhyme characters, bands, etc. It's become the world's longest-running kids' parade. Today it's a not-for-profit organization, which receives funding from Canadian Corporations, including about 150 executives who contribute $1000 each year to dress as 'celebrity' clowns - a fun fund-raising idea that was started by Ron Barbaro and Academy Award-winning Norman Jewison in 1982. Today the parade is made possible because of the help of 1500 volunteers who man elaborate floats, march in bands, and participate as clowns and costumed characters. Many of those clowns you'll see driving the floats are actually the city's paramedics. The parade leads Santa past about a half-million people who line the streets of Toronto for the annual mid-November event. Also, each year, 13,000 volunteers at Canada Post help with the more than one million children from around the world who write to: Santa Claus North Pole, Canada, H0H 0H0.
Where: There is a slightly different route this year for this the 150th edition of the parade. Held on Sunday November 15, 2009, it will start at 12.30 Bloor and Christie St's and go east on Bloor to Avenue Rd., then south and around Queen's Park, continuing down University Ave to Dundas St. It then goes east to Yonge St, and south on Yonge to Front St., where it continues east on Front St. to ends at Church St.
In the News: The morning of the 2009 parade, starting at 9 am, there will be a FREE pre-Parade Breakfast at Yonge Dundas Square. At 11am free coffee & hot chocolate will be served. Entertainment will include magicians, jugglers, balloon artists, the Celebrity Clowns, face painting and mascots. The 2009 parade will be broadcast on Global TV from 4 to 5.30 pm on Sunday, and on Global's web site on Monday www.GlobalTV.com
Lucy Izon
Canada Cool is produced by award-winning Canadian travel writer & speaker Lucy Izon. Her travel stories & reports have appeared in numerous leading North American publications including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul. Bio page
Canada’s Coolest:
Welcome to a new feature on Canada Cool. I'll be presenting different 'Coolest' lists with my favorites and I encourage you to nominate suggestions from your own experiences. You can Twitter @CanadaCool or email Lucy@CanadaCool.com. Let me know what makes your suggestion exceptionally cool. Remember, by contributing your comments you are giving Canada Cool permission to quote you. Only a selection of submissions will be included, but all comments and submissions are greatly appreciated!
The first feature is: Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives
Here are some of my favorites...
The Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park, Alberta - This 229 km (142 mi) Rocky Mountain route from Banff/Lake Louise to Jasper passes 100 frozen rivers and nudges the base of the Athabasca Glacier - the most accessible glacier in the world. You can stop and explore it. It spills down from the Columbia Icefield, an area of ice so massive that you could fit the entire population of North America on it with each person getting at least a square metre of space.
The Corridor, Algonquin Park, Ontario – this 56-km stretch of Hwy 60 cuts through the southwest section of Algonquin Park. Less than three hours north of Toronto the park is a nature-lover's paradise with 7,725 km of lakes, rivers, forest, trails, camping, comfortable lodges and 2000 km of canoe routes. Offers hiking trails to stop and enjoy, but what makes it really cool is that it’s one of the best places in North America to spot moose (especially in May and June). And, on Thursday nights in August up to 600 cars will gather to listen to wolves howl.
The Cabot Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – Driving this 303 km (187 mile) route is like riding a roller-coaster: the road snakes around hairpin turns, rises to heights over 365 metres (1200 ft), weaves around headlands revealing spectacular coastal scenery, and plunges down to sea level taking you into the heart of small fishing communities. The most dramatic scenery is between the Cape Breton Highlands National Park entrance near Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, so go slow. And, plan some flexibility into your schedule, so you can drive it on a clear day.
And here are some of your nominations for 'Canada's Coolest Single Day Scenic Drives'...
More from Canada’s Coolest
'Canada's Coolest' topics we'll be publishing in the future:
- Golf Course Features
- Haunted Hotels
- Hotel Special Services
Send your suggestions to lucy@CanadaCool.com
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