There is nothing quite like hearing sirens blaring and knowing Santa and his friends are nearing your neighborhood. It’s even more special knowing that Santa is making his rounds through our streets, not only to spread joy in our neighborhood, but also to make the holidays a bit brighter for area children in need.
Santa and his helpers will once again be collecting unwrapped toys, books, bikes and games along the parade route for the Boys & Girls Club of Town ‘n’ Country.
Parade Route
Abbotsford resident Alan Shabott, his family and crew of builders are hard at work putting the finishing touches on this year’s floats. Last year, the crew put together an amazing Taylor Swift–themed parade. We can’t wait to see what they have in store this year! They will be joined Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts from Troop 46, the Tampa Tarpon and a host of other costumed characters.
The Parade kicks off at 2 p.m. in The Vineyards. View the complete route on page 9. The highlighted roads in red indicate the parade route. The length of the route and the time it takes Santa to travel it makes it very difficult to add roads. From experience, parade staff have also learned that certain roads, particularly narrow ones in West Park Village with their street parking, make it nearly impossible for the parade to pass. Residents are encouraged to follow the Santa tracker and greet Santa on the nearest road as he passes.
The event culminates in the annual Tree Lighting ceremony on Montague Street in West Park Village upon Santa’s arrival at approximately 8 p.m. There will be a DJ and entertainment by Michael Levy, owner of Rockatar Music Academy, so get there early!
Tracking Santa
Residents can track Santa’s progress through Westchase on their phones. Simply save the following link, http://glympse.com/!westchasesanta, to your phone and click on it at noon on Saturday, Dec. 13.
While you are encouraged to click on the link at noon, the cursor marking Santa’s whereabouts won’t become active until roughly 2 p.m., the parade’s official start time.
Organizers Thank Parade Sponsors
The parade is organized by Ralph Caputo and Santa’s Elves; however, several local organizations and families help underwrite the event’s costs and support the volunteers. This year, title sponsor Taylor Financial will be joined by Curated Legacy Corp, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides vehicles and transportation resources to underserved first-time drivers. The Westchase Charitable Foundation and WOW magazine serve as supporting sponsors. The Westchase Community Development District’s (CDD) board of supervisors also make the event possible by providing off-duty deputies for parade safety and traffic control. This year’s luncheon, which feeds parade volunteers during the mid-day parade break, is once again being generously hosted by the Metzger Family of Radcliffe. And Alan Shabott and his family have been hard at work building floats. Parade organizers thank them all for their generous support.
Ralph Caputo and Dan O’Brien launched the Santa Parade in 2005 with Santa, a fire truck, one simple float, and a mission to raise awareness for the Westchase Charitable Foundation. Today, it is a time-honored Westchase tradition. So, gather your friends, family and neighbors, along with your unwrapped toys and bikes, and get ready to make some holiday memories in our amazing community.