West End volunteers creating Christmas parade tradition

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This article was published 11/12/2021 (1527 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A chorus of shrieks and squeals rings out as Chanel, Chloe, Elizabeth and Novalee scamper down the sidewalk. The sound of jingling bells grows louder by the second, and a strobing red light reflects off the ice-slicked pavement.

The four sisters — all clad in varying shades of pink snowsuits — gasp and giggle, nearly spilling out onto Dominion Street. Their father, Jacob Yochim, urges them to remain calm.

“Ho, ho, ho,” Ross Bottle says, his holiday greeting setting off another torrent of screams from the girls.

Christmas came to the West End late Saturday afternoon, courtesy of Bottle and his team of local volunteers.

They call themselves West End Christmas Miracle, and they are dedicated to spreading cheer, Bottle said.

For the second consecutive year, they have organized and executed their own Christmas parade for the West End. They will navigate a single-vehicle parade through the area’s residential streets again Sunday.

Bottle and his wife, Bobbi, play the roles of Santa and Mrs. Clause, calling out to children from a slow-moving trailer adorned with Christmas lights.

“It means the world to us as West End residents that we were able to do this,” Bottle said. “It makes our community stronger.”

One of the volunteers conceived the idea of a mini-parade last year amid pandemic lockdowns. They didn’t want children to miss out on an opportunity to see Santa, so they posted a notice on Facebook asking for people to come together.

Ross Bottle and the community answered the call — preparing a float, taking to the streets and starting what could be a new Christmas tradition.

He reflects on that parade fondly.

“It brought almost the entire team to tears quite a few times. Even just talking about it now, I can feel the tears welling up,” Bottle said, his voice catching. “The emotional part of it was so overwhelming sometimes that we had to step back going, ‘What did we just do?’”

It was an overwhelming success, so they had to do it again, he said.

Preparations for this year’s parade began in mid-November.

The planning committee consisted of about five core people, but more than 20 volunteers pitched in to make the event possible — every one of them is local to the neighbourhood, Bottle said.

Volunteers worked tirelessly over the last week to prepare the sleigh, plan the parade route and promote the event on social media. Bottle estimates the team has dedicated up to 80 hours of their time, he said.

It costs about $2,000 to make the parade happen. The funds come entirely from donations and community support, Bottle said.

“It’s not a huge amount, but it’s all volunteer-based, and some of us are willing to spend it out of our own pockets,” he said.

Valour Community Centre and Coun. Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) supported the event with monetary donations, and numerous local businesses donated decorations, candy, supplies and a trailer, Bottle said.

“There is an unshakable sense of community (in the West End), almost bordering on family, in some cases,” he said. “It is definitely going to be a tradition. That is something we agreed upon last year.”

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca