Te Awamutu Rotary Club has gone back to a Saturday for this year’s Christmas Parade after holding the last two on a Sunday.
As he surveyed Sunday’s parade from his vantage point, Santa certainly approved.
Club spokesman and parade coordinator Chris Kay said the club had co-ordinated the parade for six years and switched to a Sunday due to retailer demand.
“The overwhelming reason for switching back to a Saturday is volunteers don’t want to work on a Sunday,” Kay said.
Louise Zakrzewski, a Rotary Exchange student from France, left, and Rotary Te Awamutu members Tracy Hemingway and Kylie Brewer carry the banner at the front of Sunday’s parade.
Kay, who leads a team of 30 volunteers, said he was between a rock and a hard place.
“They come to the parade and leave when the parade ends,” he said.
Te Awamutu Business Chamber chief executive Shane Walsh said the chamber could “see how it goes this year and try to figure out how to make sure that in the future retailers can benefit more than what they do now.”
The theme for Saturday’s parade is It’s a White Christmas.
The parade starts from Selwyn Lane at 11am, turns onto Arawata Street then Alexandra Steet to the roundabout at the intersection of Alexandra, Mutu and Rewi Streets. It will then return to Selwyn Lane following the same route. There will be a lolly scramble and prizegiving after the parade at Selwyn Park.
Milli, left, and Lexi Easton – pictured with grandparents Michelle and Phillip Kite – had a great vantage point for Sunday’s Christmas Parade.
