Santa brings joy to Belleville

BELLEVILLE – Santa Claus rides his sleigh through the parade route. Photo by Katy Burley

By Katy Burley

BELLEVILLE – People lined the streets of Belleville Sunday night for the 15th annual Santa Claus Parade.

The crowd waved as the parade travelled down North Front Street. There were a few hiccups, including one of the floats breaking down, but it was fixed in time to tag along behind Santa’s sleigh. Overall, people enjoyed their night.

There were 80 to 85 total entries in the parade. Susan Walsh, the special events co-ordinator for the Belleville Chamber of Commerce, said there were around 2,000 people in the parade this year.

Walsh said there are typically around 10,000 spectators each year, depending on the weather. There were concerns about the weather this year, but the rain held off for the duration of the parade. There were even a few flurries to add to the spirit of Christmas.