This ongoing series from Barrie Historical Archive curator Deb Exel shows old photos from the collection and one from the present day, as well as the story behind them.
Barrie Santa Claus Parade
Last Saturday, Santa came to town.
He’s only been coming to town, in the form of a parade, for about 74 years.
Oh, sure, there were many sightings in the past. Santas had been showing up routinely for decades at schools, old-age homes (as they were called back in the day), churches and businesses, spreading good cheer and candy at Christmastime.
While smaller towns and villages held Santa Claus parades, in December 1928, Santa fans in Barrie had to watch a film of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade at the New Dreamland Theatre on Bayfield Street.
Santa even arrived by plane — not sleigh — one year, flying low over the town of Barrie, waving to a group of 1,000 children, before landing at the local airport.
Once on the ground, Santa and one of his clowns hopped into a convertible and, with a police escort, made his way to Post Office Square, where Mayor Grant Mayor and all the kids were waiting. Santa met each child with a “ho, ho, ho,” giving all a handshake, an orange, and a candy stick.
The positive response to the Santa event stirred the notion of a parade in Barrie among town council and chamber of commerce members.
Sure enough, the following June, after its meeting had adjourned, council headed to the library to watch a film of a Santa Claus parade. The chamber of commerce had already been looking into arranging a parade and working with local merchants to make this happen for the coming holiday season.
It was 1949, and the first Barrie Santa Claus Parade was on — Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 2:30 p.m. Held on a weekday, and a school day, the parade committee hoped children in Barrie and the surrounding area would be able to attend. The board of Barrie Collegiate Institute had something to say about this.
The chamber of commerce had requested the help of 100 high school students, but the board believed this to be too disruptive, stating, “This board has no authority to approve of students from the collegiate participating in or attending a Santa Claus parade held on a school day.”
Regardless, the turnout for the parade was impressive, with thousands lining the three-kilometre route.
The parade marshalled at the edge of town, at the Barrie fairgrounds, at 1:30 p.m. The route took the parade along Essa Road to Bradford Street, turning onto Elizabeth Street (now Dunlop Street West) to Dunlop Street. The parade then went up Mulcaster Street to Collier Street and west to the Odd Fellows temple, where Santa disembarked and greeted children inside the hall.
Sixteen large floats, a trumpet band and more than 60 clowns, elves, jugglers, gnomes and animals made their way through Allandale to Barrie. Many of the floats were fairy-tale or storybook themed, the more notable ones being Cinderella in her carriage, a doll merry-go-round, an enormous Viking ship and a huge, green, multi-eyed doodle bug, which excited the crowd by gobbling up an actual tractor.
Dick Mungham and Ralph Snelgrove, of CKBB, broadcast a description of the parade as it was happening, for the benefit of shut-ins. The highlight of the parade was Santa riding in his sleigh behind eight reindeer. The biggest swarm was on Collier Street, where crowds of kids hoped to get some time with Santa at the end of the parade to make sure he was familiar with their lists.
Fortunately, Santa Claus parades evolved from weekdays to weekends and, much later, from afternoon events to the thrilling nighttime light shows and festivities we enjoy these days.
