Holiday parade details unveiled

By Denny Scott

Volunteers with the Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA) are pulling out all the stops to make the organization’s first Christmas parade a memorable one.

The parade will be held on Dec. 1 and is part of the three-day Hometown Holiday Weekend.

Organizer Annie Sparling explained that the committee behind the parade wants the event to be the best small-town parade possible.

“We wanted to stand out from other towns,” she said. “We want it to be nostalgic and fun for kids as well.”

To that end, the committee decided to reach out to Iceculture in Hensall who will create a tray made of ice to make maple-syrup toffee. The toffee will be available at a static location during the parade.

“We looked at the other things we could’ve done,” she said. “We wanted something geared towards families and would be fun for kids to enjoy.”

The ice tray will allow the toffee to be made right in front of the crowd, Sparling said, which will be something interesting for children to take part in.

Sparling also said that Blyth Legion members and the Blyth Lions Club have volunteered to walk the parade route, collecting food and gifts to donate to the less fortunate.

For more information, look for the Blyth BIA on Facebook.