The Stittsville Village Association would like to remind residents that there will be no Parade of Lights along Stittsville Main Street this year. The event, which was supposed to take place on November 27th, was cancelled due to the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 gathering limits and concern for the safety of volunteers, participants, and attendees.
“We are really disappointed to be skipping the Parade of Lights for a second year,” said parade organizer and SVA Past President Tanya Hein. “It’s such an amazing event. Everyone puts so much effort into their floats, and half of Stittsville’s population comes out to watch. It was a tough decision, but with young children only now newly eligible to get vaccinated, we thought it prudent to avoid creating a gathering that could still potentially include a couple thousand unvaccinated children.”
Hein noted there have been a lot of questions about whether the parade would go forward given Stittsville’s high adult vaccination rate, and especially after the province lifted restrictions that prevented parades earlier in the season.
“There have been a few disappointed comments, but for the most part, everyone has been very understanding of our reasons for cancelling,” she told Stittsville Central. “Transmission risks are lower outdoors, but typical parades don’t lend themselves well to screening or physical distancing efforts.”
Hein said there are still many options for holiday cheer in the community, noting the Stittsville Lions Club has once again installed lights in Village Square Park with a lighting celebration on November 27 at 7:00pm with carols and hot chocolate, the upcoming final Stittsville Market @ The Barn November 28th, a Toy Mountain toy drive at Stittsville Fire Station 81, local businesses ready to serve holiday shoppers, and a growing number of homes with beautiful light displays.
Our neighbouring communities of Richmond and Carp will be holding drive-thru style parades. The Richmond Village Association is holding their drive-through parade on December 4 at the Richmond Fair Grounds with a start time of 5:30pm. The Carp Santa Claus drive-thru parade will take place on December 11 starting at 5:00pm. Unfortunately, the Kanata Help Santa Toy Parade, hosted by the Ottawa Professional Firefighters Association (OPFA), has been cancelled. The OPFA has opted to hold just one parade in Ottawa, rather than their mini-parades due to the “tragic incident” that occurred during the Santa Claus parade in Wisconsin.
In lieu of the non-perishable food donations collected along the route of the Parade of Lights, please consider a donation to the Stittsville Food Bank.