Santa Claus Parade is for the kids

Emma Lasby, left, and Kamilla Millinger met Santa Claus Saturday after the annual Langton Lions Santa Claus parade. 

Chris Abbott

Editor

Children had a chance to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus Saturday morning at the Langton Community Centre after the annual Langton Lions Santa Claus parade.

Patiently and eagerly waiting in line, there were smiles all around.

“The kids seemed excited, very much so,” Santa nodded after greeting more than 100 children with Mrs. Claus at his side.

“The biggest kick is the smile on the kids’ faces,” said Santa. “And most of the time, or a lot of the time, the adults get just as excited, if not more than the children. That warms the old ticker.”

“That’s what it is all about,” nodded Lion Albert DeWaele.

“It’s seeing the smiles on everybody, especially the children, it’s all about the children,” said Mrs. Claus. “They’re just so happy. It’s amazing.

“You just blink… and they grow so fast.”

Each child received a goodie bag from the Langton Lions after meeting Santa and Mrs. Claus, this year handed out by DeWaele.

“This is for the kids,” said Lion Frank DeDobbelaer in 2024. DeDobbelaer passed away in November 2025 and will be sorely missed, said Santa. A Lion for more than 55 years, DeDobbelaer was happy to assist Santa handing out goodies many years after the parade.

“Frank was a pillar of a lot of things,” said Santa.

“A very good turnout today, they tell me we had a lot of people around the parade route. A good turnout,” nodded Lion DeWaele, “and about the usual number of floats we normally have.

“Most of the youth groups are involved, the churches are involved. The Lions Club just heads it up but it’s the whole community that gets involved.”

The Norfolk Fire Department Station 7 (Langton) fire trucks are always staple, as is the Langton Lions priming machine up near the front of the parade, with Lions on board.“I’ve been a member 60 years and the priming machine has probably been in the parade for 50 years, back in the day of tobacco,” said DeWaele, noting the parade tradition goes back to the 1950s.

These days, and for about 10 years running, the priming machine has been towed by tractor.

“We finally weren’t able to get the motor running,” DeWaele laughed.

Saturday’s smalltown morning parade moved at a relaxed walking pace, giving everyone a chance to see the floats, see the children, see everyone – in the parade, on the streets and even the smiling faces waving from windows.

“I think it’s important to us, we’re one of the few that still has a morning parade. It just seems to work well with all the different groups. It’s a busy time of year for a lot of people, and people like to get out Saturday morning and enjoy a nice parade. It gets everyone in the community involved… and that’s why we keep doing it.”

The Langton Lions Club thanked Al and Wanda Ross for their contribution to the parade event.