A long-standing holiday tradition gets rolling for another year on Christmas Eve as the Steveston Santa Claus Parade prepares to wind its way through the village.
The event, which today requires the efforts of 40 to 50 volunteers, was first started back in 1973 as a simple celebration of the holidays, said organizer Jack Beetstra, who stepped up a few years ago and revived the parade after it missed a year.
“I’ve been involved one way or another with the parade since its start,” Beetstra said, adding those originally steering the event included the late Frank Van Hest of the Steveston Art Knapp’s Plantland, who took a turn at playing Santa Claus. Also playing a part were former local realtor Ray Ruttan and community organizer Kelvin Higo.
“Their idea was just to bring joy to the people of Steveston,” Beetstra said. “And they just went up and down the streets. Things got a little more formal as the years went on. Then it got to be a lot of work and it became too much to continue.”
So, Beetstra, who has been with Richmond Fire Rescue for 27 years and is a captain at the No. 4 Fire Hall near YVR, enlisted the support of the Richmond Firefighters Charitable Society and a host of former parade volunteers to get things running once more, this time as a fundraiser for the Richmond Food Bank.
Last year, the event raised just over $1,500 and a truck-load of donated food.
“We have firefighters and volunteers walking with big rubber boots collecting donations along the route and that all goes to the Richmond Food Bank,” Beetstra said.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. at Regent Street and Sixth Avenue and then zig-zigs up and down the streets and ends at Garry Point Park.
This year, Santa will be riding on the Steveston Community Society float and will be preceded by all manner of parade-goers, including hay wagons, plenty of costumed folk, and a decorated fire truck.
For more about the parade and map of the route, visit the Steveston Santa Claus Parade’s Facebook page.
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