Santa brought excitement and joy to Milt Dunnell Field last weekend

Bill Pickering, senior manager of equipment operations at Coca-Cola, as Santa Claus at The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan at Milt Dunnell Field last Saturday.

By Alex Hunt

The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan made its return to St. Marys over the weekend, allowing locals to visit Father Christmas himself. 

The Town of St. Marys once again turned Milt Dunnell Field into a winter wonderland last Saturday, Dec. 13, giving locals a chance to take pictures with Santa Claus, who was stationed at the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan. Coca-Cola’s senior manager of equipment operations, Bill Pickering, dressed as Santa and enjoyed bringing smiles to children and families. 

“I’ve been involved with this ever since it started,” said Pickering. “For me, it’s all about the kids, the families and the community. Coca-Cola believes in being part of the communities we live in and supporting them, and that’s exactly what this is all about. We do this right across the country.” 

The caravan accepted non-perishable food donations for The Salvation Army Stratford- St. Marys Regional Community Ministries’ Food Drive, which was held at Your Independent Grocer last Saturday. 

The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan tours communities across Canada, offering free Coke samples and photos with Santa. The annual event brings festive cheer and celebrates community spirit while supporting Coca-Cola’s Canada’s Kindest Community initiative, a nationwide effort that runs from November to January inviting Canadians to nominate their towns for acts of kindness.

“It was great to bring back the holiday caravan after its absence last year,” said Mogren Easton, tourism and events coordinator at the Town of St. Marys. “It was the perfect way to start Christmas break with the family and kick off the holiday season.”