Carp Santa parade a donation location Saturday

CARP – A truly unique, COVID-inspired “static parade” is coming to Carp in two sleeps, and it will be a chance to raise community cheer, and donations to two worthy causes this holiday season.

The 11th Annual Carp Santa Claus Parade – Drive Thru Style, a presentation of the Huntley Community Association (HCA) and Carp Fair, will now be a drop off location for the CTV and MAJIC 100’s Toy Mountain 2020.

“Each year, Toy Mountain and the Salvation Army provides toys to more than 20,000 children, and this year our goal is to leave no child in Ottawa without a gift to open on Christmas morning,” volunteer organizers released in a statement.

“Toy Mountain will have a truck on site,” Coun. Eli El-Chantiry released in a statement today (Dec. 10). “You can bring an unwrapped toy and drop it off while you drive thru.”

The parade is also a fundraiser for the West Carleton Food Access Centre (WCFAC). Volunteers will be accepting gift cards and monetary donations along the route as well. All donations to the WCFAC remain in the community.

The 11th Annual Carp Santa Claus Parade will be one of your only chances to see Santa this holiday season. Almost all communities in west Ottawa and up the Valley have cancelled their 2020 Santa Claus parades. But the sharp minds with the HCA and Carp Agricultural Society came up with a COVID-19 friendly plan to continue the tradition in the Village of Carp.

The parade will be static. Floats will be set up along a route throughout the Carp Fairgrounds. Attendees to the parade drive through the route to see the floats. Here’s West Carleton Online’s original story speaking with some of the organizers of the event published Oct. 29.

The parade starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, with the entrance being the gates of the W. Erskine Johnston Arena. Entry to the parade is a food donation to the WCFAC.