Christmas spirit takes over Fort Erie with annual Santa Claus Parade

Lisa Stratton was taken over by holiday cheer at Saturday’s Santa Claus Parade.

She was one of several people who were captured by the Grinch and put in a cage suspended from a grader brought in by Peters Construction, who has helped in recent years to make the event dazzling with its unique and creative displays.

As the Grinch made his way through Bridgeburg, the Christmas villain coerced a number of spectators into his cage, but Stratton very willingly got locked up with him.

“The Christmas spirit just moved me,” she joked when asked by Fort Erie Radio what made her want to so eagerly be part of the parade in front of so many people on Jarvis Street.

She was very impressed by the work and thought that went into the spectacle.

“It’s great for Jarvis Street and such a beautiful thing for our town,” said Stratton.

One of the larger presences in the parade were the local Bills Backers, a group that celebrates the area’s beloved NFL team whose home is about a 30-minute drive over the border in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Despite the Bills sitting atop the AFC East standings with a 9-2 record, it’s “pretty easy” to recruit fans to take part in the parade.

“Last year, we had a truck with about 30 people,” said one of the leaders, Carrie McNeil, as Fort Erie Radio ran along the side of the pickup truck she was riding in the back of in an effort to interview her.

About 75 people donned Bills gear for the parade and made people aware of how much their team makes them want to “shout.”

The parade was organized by the Bridgeburg BIA and board member Korinne Antaya said more than 50 floats were registered on top of many other groups who took part in the holiday procession that started on Gilmore Road and ended at the foot of Jarvis Street.

“Everybody has been super eager to participate,” said Antaya.

Last year’s parade went viral on the web, as media outlets and social media users from many parts of the world took notice of what Peters Construction added to the celebration.

“We knew we had big shoes to fill,” said Antaya.

She moved to the area about three years ago, and when she became involved with the BIA and the parade, she did research and came to the conclusion that the Fort Erie Santa Claus Parade has always been very well-attended.

“We know it’s pretty special to everyone,” she said.

Before things got started, Ward 1 Councillor George McDermott said the parade is the “premiere event of the year,” and that he knew it was “going to be as good as ever.”

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