Salt Spring’s holiday season is about to get brighter with the first annual Trucker n’ Trade Holiday Parade hitting the streets at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Tradespeople and truckers will light up their trucks, play some tunes, toss some candy and celebrate the season with our community, and send proceeds from the parade to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of well-known islander Rick Andrews of Rick Andrews Excavating Ltd., who lost his battle with the disease this past summer.
The parade will start and end at Windsor Plywood. It will turn right on Jackson Avenue, onto Seaview Avenue, left onto Fulford-Ganges Road, then left onto Lower Ganges Road, up past Country Grocer, left down Atkins Road and finish back on Rainbow Road. People can find their spot along the route and watch the lights go by. After the parade, people are invited to Windsor Plywood to enjoy a hot chocolate or hot apple cider and check out some of the trucks up close.
As of Monday, some 37 businesses and more than 40 vehicles were slated to participate.
The event has been organized by Fresco Refrigeration and the Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce, with support from Windsor Plywood and Mouat’s.
“The blueprints for the parade have been on the table for a while and we finally pushed ourselves to make it happen,” said parade founders Graham and Myriam Outerbridge of Fresco Refrigeration. “We are thrilled with the response from our community truckers and fellow tradespeople; now we need the community to show up and cheer them on.”
“As soon as we heard about the parade we jumped on participating and supporting it,” said Windsor co-owner and manager Jess Harkema. “It’s a great way for the trades and truckers to celebrate our community. The trades are a quiet backbone of our community, and this is a fun way for them and our community to celebrate the holidays and raise some money for a great cause.”
A donation bin will be set out for community members wishing to donate to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of Andrews.
More holiday fun
Other upcoming holiday season events include the Sixth Annual Farm Stand Light Up Tour on both Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7 (and Dec. 20-21 as well), evening shopping and holiday cheer with the Ganges Winter Wander and Mouat’s Mini Night Market on Friday, Dec. 5 from 5 to 8 p.m., and Christmas on the Farm at Ernst & Elsie’s Farmworks on Furness Road on Dec. 6-7.
Musical events are also in full swing this week at various local venues. See the What’s On calendar on Page 8 for the details.
On the following Saturday, Dec. 13, Santa will come in to Ganges Harbour to meet with island children, thanks to the Lions Club of Salt Spring Island. He is expected to arrive at the Coast Guard dock at about 1 p.m., and will meet with families in Mouat’s Mall. Hot chocolate will be served.