If you like horses, then the Russell Santa Claus Parade was right down your alley. Russell probably had more horses than any other parade in a community of this size, including this one with lovely dappled markings. Tinkess Photo

RUSSELL – If you hadn’t been to Russell recently, you would be amazed at how much the community had grown. Despite this growth, it still maintains its small-town feel and a connection to its rural/agricultural roots. This was evident in the Russell Santa Claus Parade which took place in the early afternoon of Sun., Nov. 24.

The parade started on the southern edge of the village at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School. With the road closed to vehicular traffic not involved in the parade, there was a lot of room for crowds to gather on either side of the roadway and gather they did.

The weather was perfect as the first vehicle (a fire truck of course) started to roll, but the clouds did gather and there were actually a few snow flurries in the air. Lights don’t shine quite so bright under the midday sun as they do at night, but as the sky turned grey, their brilliance seemed to increase.

Russell had an interesting mix of floats and vehicles as part of their parade, and it had a definite community feel to it. There were minor hockey players, scouts of all ages, dancers, teachers, students and at least as many parents as there were children.

If you were looking for reindeer, you would have been disappointed as they were all occupied elsewhere (probably resting up for the big day). Horses, on the other hand were very plentiful. Russell can safely lay claim to the greatest number of horses in any parade hosted by a community of its size.

There was a beautiful wagon drawn by a couple of horses, and it was followed moments later by what can best be described as a herd. There were big horses and small horses, miniature horses, brown horses, and black horses, horses with tightly cropped manes and even one with beautiful, dappled markings. Some were being ridden by children, others by adults and most had donned a bit of holiday decor as well.

One entrant in the parade was a truck bearing photos and advertising promoting the Ottawa Farm Show, which takes place March 11-13, 2025. It expressed Christmas wishes from the Ottawa Valley Seed Growers Association, the sponsors of the show.

There were also goats, most of which walked nicely, but one small one let it be known it has no interest what so ever in being in a parade.

There were local celebrities as well. Mayor Michael Tarnowski and Councillor Lisa Deacon were seen, greeting everyone they encountered and extending season’s greetings.

There was lots of singing, candy canes being passed about, and many, many smiles, and then the big moment came as Santa, accompanied by Mrs. Claus rolled by, carefully looking to see who was being naughty and who was being nice.

As the last vehicle drove off into the distance, you could be excused if you found it hard to believe that Christmas Eve was now just a month away. The children, however understood that the countdown had started, and the best was yet to come.