Stretch out that best behaviour Tofino, Santa Claus’ visit has been delayed.
Jolly Old St. Nicholas will be touring through the community on Sunday, Dec. 19 with help from the Tofino Volunteer Fire Department. Santa was initially expected to tour through local streets on Saturday, but the event was pushed back by a gloomy weather forecast.
The fire department’s deputy chief Cameron Young told the Westerly News that Santa will be riding in a fire truck with firefighters walking alongside handing out candy canes and collecting Christmas wishes to pass along to the jolly old elf.
“If they have Christmas lists or want to shout out the wishes they have, our firefighters are more than happy to relay that message to Santa,” Young said.
He noted the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for Santa to visit local kids this year and the fire department wanted to lend a hand in ensuring he’s able to wish the community a Merry Christmas.
“We’ve seen it happen in other municipalities before and, with COVID continuing, we figured it was a good idea,” he said.
“We get a ton of support from our community and this is just a small way that we can give back, especially this time of year for kids and families. We’re hoping we can brighten those kids’ days even if it is just for 5 or ten minutes after what has turned out to be another difficult year and then hopefully roll into 2022 looking a little bit better.”
Santa’s Dec. 19 Tofino tour will kick off at 3 p.m. with the route starting at Tonquin and making its way through town, stopping at Yew Wood and heading onto Abraham and into Ocean Park.
Anyone hoping to add their area to the route is encouraged to contact the department at
“We’re trying to hit the concentrated neighbourhoods of Tofino where we know there’s lots of families,” Young said.
“If there’s somewhere else that a family really wants us to come by, then just give us a call at the firehall before Saturday and we’ll make sure we line that up.”
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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