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Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving at local airport

Children of all ages urged to greet famous North Pole couple at 4:15 p.m.

By Melissa Smalley

The Santa Claus Parade is just over a week away, and organizers say it's shaping up to be one of the biggest and best in 100 Mile House.

Registration for the event, which was extended until end of day today (Nov. 10) has gone "really well" according to co-ordinator Janet Lilly says around two dozen floats are expected to participate Nov. 18.

"We've had a tremendous response. Everyone seems to be on board with the Santa's Workshop theme; we might even have some animals taking part."

Especially exciting this year will be Santa and Mrs. Claus' arrival from the North Pole.

The duo will be flying into town on a special Cariboo Air plane and landing at the 100 Mile House Airport around 4:15 p.m., where they'll greet any youngsters who want to get a close-up glimpse prior to the parade.

"We're really hoping lots of little ones come to the airport to see Santa and Mrs. Claus when they land," Lilly says.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will then make their way over to the parade site on Birch Avenue – Lilly is hoping to arrange an RCMP escort – to await the start of the Santa Parade, which is set to get underway at 5:30 p.m.

Lilly says she's thrilled with the response not only from parade participants but also from businesses along the downtown stretch who will be decorating their storefronts to add to the festive ambience.

"The downtown core is going to be lit up in red as well, which is the first time in a long time that has happened.”

With the parade set to get underway at 5:30, Lilly reminds attendees to not park on Birch Avenue after 5 p.m., as cars along the roadway can cause safety hazards for float drivers.

Parking lots, which are in the vicinity that aren't on the road, are OK to use, she notes.