Hundreds of people from Virden and the surrounding area staked out the parade route last Thursday to enjoy a Santa Parade that very nearly didn’t happen.
With just nine days to organize it, Herb Warkentin and Hank Kyle of Virden Legion Branch No. 8 joined forces to save the parade that had been cancelled in November by the Virden Chamber of Commerce.
They announced the revival of the event on Nov. 21 and the community rallied to make it a memorable one.
“There were 42 floats. We were just super, super happy with the turnout,” said Warkentin with a smile. “The big thing was mother nature, it was a perfect evening weather-wise.”
Warkentin adds, “I want to thank everyone who took part in preparing floats and the crowds for coming out. Because the parade had been cancelled and brought back, I got lots of positive comments from people on how good it looked.”
As well as Virden parade-goers, there were guests who came in from other towns like Elkhorn and Reston to enjoy the festive atmosphere and stuff their pockets with lobbed candies.
Attendance did not seem to be diminished by the fact that the parade did not coincide, at it usually does, with the Memory Tree light-up festivities.
