There may have been fewer fire trucks, but there was certainly no absence of cheer and good will as City of La Porte and La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership (LEAP) once again hosted their annual Santa Parade to kick-off the holiday season. The parade was held on Small Business Saturday, urging people to shop and support their local businesses this holiday season while also kicking off the La Porte 25 Deals of Christmas, which also highlights local, small businesses.
Organized by volunteers from LEAP, this year’s event was much different from those of years past. Rather than hosting a traditional parade this year, the families were the stars as they drove through the parade route. Instead of traveling along Lincoln Way, the parade started at the corner of State and Jackson Streets, running west on State to Michigan Avenue, then turning right at the old South Shore community train station, where all the good little boys and girls were invited to stop and pay a visit to Santa who was waiting in his cozy chalet.
“We obviously still wanted to give our community some type of Christmas event, but a large crowd of people wasn’t a very good idea right now,” said Lindsay Jongkind, Marketing and Membership Director for LEAP. “So we decided that a drive-thru was the best way to do it.”
“We have parade entries lined-up on State Street, ready to greet the children and hand-out candy as usual, and INDOT [the Indiana Department of Transportation] will be on hand to collect non-perishables for their annual food drive,” Jongkind said. “It’s still the Santa Parade, but just a little different format.”
Perhaps most importantly, LEAP worked extra hard to make sure that children visiting the parade could still stop and pay a visit to the star of the event: Santa Claus.
“Once they go through the parade route, they can stop here for a COVID-safe picture here with Santa and Mrs. Claus. We have a plexiglass barrier there, so kids can still visit with Santa and have their photo taken.”
“We know how important it is for children to have their photo taken with Santa,” Jongkind said.
There was also a mailbox outside the chalet where children could drop off their letters for Santa.
“We kind of like the drive-thru format,” said La Porte parade goer Alex Martinson, who came with husband Ben and daughters Maggie, 5 and Claire, 2. “It’s less ‘parade-y,’ but it’s warmer and safer for the kids to just stay in the car, get their candy, and still see Santa.”
“We really appreciate all the effort that the town puts into this every year,” Martinson said.
Madeline Fleshman, 2020 La Porte County Fair Queen, was also on-hand, passing out candy to all the visiting children and also serving as one of the event’s Candy Cane Sponsors.
“I wanted to come out and see my community,” said Fleshman. “It’s nice to be out here, visiting with everyone in a safe, socially-distanced way.”
“It’s so great to see so much holiday cheer. Even though things may be a bit different this year, it’s so great to be out here and see how much joy people still have,” Fleshman said. “It’s just wonderful.”
Sponsors for this year’s La Porte Santa Parade included 1st Source Bank, General Insurance Services, NIPSCO, La Porte Family YMCA, Larson-Danielson Construction, RENOLIT, Rieth-Riley Construction, and many more.
For more information about LEAP, visit them online at https://laportepartnership.com/.
