Santa Claus did, indeed, ride atop his sleigh from the north all the way down to Toronto’s first parade in 1905. Santa’s launchpad in the north was Newmarket, where the jolly old elf’s first log cabin float was built by workers at local woodworking company, Cane’s Woodenware.
“Cane’s were Canada-renowned, if not world-renowned, for their craftsmanship with wooden products,” said local historian and the History Hound founder Richard MacLeod. “Mr. and Mrs. Eaton, of the T. Eaton Company, wanted something promotional for the flagship Eaton’s store and they decided to make a big deal out of Santa.”
The Eatons commissioned the Newmarket company to build a log cabin for Santa, which would then be put on train and carried to Toronto’s Union Station. The float would be unloaded and it, along with several others, would parade to Eaton’s Yonge Street department store.
The town’s founding fathers liked the idea so much, of Santa riding into town to greet the children and hand out candies, that they mounted their own parade in 1910.
“The first parade wasn’t that huge, but three generations of Canes were mayors and they had an affinity for Newmarket and wanted to do something special for the people,” MacLeod said.
William Cane, born in 1885, was Newmarket’s first mayor, and his son, Henry S. Cane, and grandson Howard Cane also held the position in later years.
Newmarket’s annual Santa Claus Parade is today, beginning at 11 a.m.
Bundle up and bring your family and friends to see festive holiday floats, followed by special guest jolly old St. Nick and his reindeer.
The parade begins at the corner of Lorne Avenue and Eagle Street at 11 a.m. and proceeds east on Eagle Street and north on Main Street. The parade ends at Ontario Street.
Don’t forget to bring your letters to Santa as the elves will be travelling along the parade route to collect them and send them to the North Pole.
Also, remember to bring your non-perishable food items to the parade, as they will be collected for the Newmarket Food Pantry.
Various street closures will take place beginning as early as 7 a.m. Visit the Town of Newmarket's road closures page for detailed information on roads and intersections affected until about 1:30 p.m.
