Huge success for the first Christmas Parade organized by the Township of Champlain

Champlain Township, December 7, 2022 - The very first Champlain Christmas Parade was a tremendous success on Friday, December 2, on the streets of Vankleek Hill. Thousands of people lined up along Perreault, Home, Stanley, Higginson, Derby and Main Street. After two years without a Christmas Parade, everyone was more than ready to enjoy and to participate in the event.

The parade was opened by the pipes and drums of the 57 Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry cadets who proudly followed the Ontario Provincial Police and their mascot Rosie. Several members of the newly elected Municipal Council wandered through the crowd handing out candy canes while Mayor Normand Riopel proudly wore a Christmas hat sitting atop a giant float with sleigh. The parade concluded with the main event, Santa Claus and his elves.

"It's amazing how magical an activity like this can be. Especially after the last two difficult years, we needed to revive this parade. It's a pleasure for us, the elected officials, to be involved because we like to meet the residents." said Champlain Mayor Normand Riopel. "This year, the impressive floats for Santa Claus and the Councillors, the illuminated characters on stilts and the participation of the community were magnificent. A huge thank you to our municipal organizing committee Zoé Fortin-Larocque, Lisa Burroughs and Mélanie Larivière. The atmosphere, the lively music and especially the sparkle in the children's eyes convinced us all to repeat the experience next year." added Mayor Riopel.

The parade, which ran over 2 km and lasted an hour and a half, had 34 participating organizations and a total of 43 floats. Businesses on Main Street extended their hours to offer holiday shopping, activities, snacks, hot chocolate and coffee to families eagerly awaiting the parade's arrival. Town Square Park was packed with people of all ages who wanted to get a taste of a beavertail or have a picture taken in the photobooth painted by artist Lorie Turpin, all in a magical holiday atmosphere provided in part by Matrix and decorated by the Champlain Parks and Recreation Department.

"The organizing committee was very pleased to see the support and participation of the various departments, such as Council, the Fire Department, Daycare Services, Parks and Recreation and Public Works. The enthusiasm and participation of the community shows us that this event is a must in Champlain!" explained Zoe Fortin-Larocque, Communications and Economic Development Specialist / Community Events Coordinator.

"The participation and positive feedback received validate that we made the right choice to take over the Christmas Parade. Events of this importance takes several months to organize, so to see that our efforts have paid off is very gratifying." said Lisa Burroughs, Director of Parks and Recreation.

“An event like this takes a lot of time, energy, and effort, and we wanted to register our great appreciation to Mayor Normand Riopel, the organizers, and the participants for a thoroughly enjoyable evening," said Mary Ann & Carol Tisdall in a letter to the editor in The Review. The positive comments exploded on social media, to mention a few: "Bravo for a wonderful parade! The kids were happy, and so were the adults!", “Best parade I've seen. Wonderful job to all!”, “Amazing parade !! Very nice! Thank you to the organizers and everyone who put in a float and made it so special.”

In the past, Excellent Events, a well-known event organization business of Vankleek Hill, organized the Vankleek Hill Parade of Lights. After two years of pandemic, the organization approached the Township last fall to explain that they did not intend to host the parade this year and were delighted that Champlain Township would be taking over this highly anticipated community event.

All photos will be posted on our Facebook page @Champlain.ON.
Heading picture by KBK Photography

Recognition and participation

Champlain Township would like to take the time to thank the sponsors who contributed to making the BeaverTail Food Truck possible in Town Square Park: Metec Metal Technology Inc, Maikan Nature, Jade's Garden, Pink Bow Tie and Ferme Lafrance et fils. A huge thank you to the generous contributions of KBK photography and Stéphanie Lapensée for the beautiful pictures, to Lorie Turpin for the photobooth and to Matrix for the decorations and chocolate milk for the participants. Thanks to the Vankleek Hill Business Merchant Association and its members for extending their opening hours and for the various activities offered before the parade at the Creative Center, the Arbor Gallery and Champlain Public Library.

Finally, thank you to all the participants, without whom this parade would not have been possible. Your participation, investment and dedication made this parade a success: Ontario Provincial Police, 57 SD&G Army Cadet Corps, Township of Champlain employees, Balthazar Promotions, Cirkaz Productions, Foodland, Ace Electric, Leduc Towing, R Cadieux Construction, D Quann Joannisse, Hawkesbury & Glengarry Animal Hospital, école St-Grégoire, école St-Jude, Herb's Towing, Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute, ferme avicole Laviolette, 1st Vankleek Hill Girl Guide Unit, Gauthier Mobile Mechanic, Bédard Real Estate, école Curé-Labrosse, Hot Air Balloon, Anne's Chipstand, Rendez-vous Nissan Hawkesbury, Vankleek Hill Lions Club, Ste-Anne's Antique Day, St-John's The Apostle Anglican Church, ASD Prescott Russell United, SG Auto Tek Garage, The Rustic Pantry, Denis Lauzon, Canada Post and Terry & Sylvia Reynolds.