Westville Parade of Lights will be Dec. 3

Once again, members of the Westville Fire Department are getting geared up to present the Annual Parade of Lights.

This year’s parade will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3.

Parade organizer Deputy Chief Tom Steele said he is pleased with the number of entries that have been received to date.

”I have seen quite a few applications from businesses and organizations that haven’t attended in the past few years and some completely new entries,” Steele said.

The parade typically attracts thousands of people and the fire department encourages town residents to get in the Christmas spirit with homes and businesses decorated for the season.

Steele also reminds spectators and participants to be mindful of the little ones in regard to safety during a nighttime parade.

“There will be a lot of festive colours and music and with Santa guaranteed to make an appearance we do not wish the excitement of evening diminished by someone getting injured. Please watch over your children.”

Parking will be banned along the parade route and a number of rules concerning people on floats or walking in the parade will be enforced.

Donations will be collected during the event for the Pictou County Food Bank. Sobeys has agreed to help with that collection and is matching monetary donations.

“Along the parade route, our volunteer teammates will collect monetary donations as well as non-perishable foods such as soup and stew, canned meat and fish, baby food, canned fruit and vegetables – all of which are among the most needed items at the food bank,” said Sarah Dawson, public affairs lead for Sobeys. “Our company takes tremendous pride in giving back to the communities we serve and

will also match the monetary donations we collect during the parade. We thank everyone for their support for the families of Pictou County during this holiday season.”

Applications and regulations are available by emailing tomsteele55@hotmail.com or visiting the Westville Town Office. The committee is also pleased to see the Town of Westville back on board with the “after parade” hot chocolate and visit with Santa which will be held within the fire station.

With the COVID situation over the past few years this portion of the event wasn’t able to be held.

Following the parade, a low-level fireworks display will be happening at Victoria Park.

Besides the annual parade, members of the Westville Fire-Rescue look after many of the events held in town each year, including the Canada Day celebrations, truck pulls and the annual Show n’ Shine held each September.

In 2024 the department will be celebrating 150 years of service to the community and Steele says area residents should expect additional events in relation to this important milestone to take place.

In addition to the food bank donations collection happening during the parade, Westville Fire and Rescue will also being doing a Food Bank Blitz in the town on Saturday, Nov. 26 from 9 a.m. to noon. Drop off points will be the fire station, the Foodland parking lot, Holy Name parking lot and the Circle K-Irving parking lot.