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thePeorian.com
The Present
T
he annual Peoria Santa
Claus Parade, which has
the distinction of being
the oldest continuously running
Santa Claus parade in the United
States, is one of the top ways in
which the Peoria region rings in
the holiday season.
But it isn’t the only one, by
any means. Most communities in
central Illinois celebrate the sea-
son in some fashion or another,
usually for the benefit of their
citizens and retailers. It can be
with a parade, a Christmas stroll,
caroling or other special events
that celebrate the holidays for one
and all.
The Peorian
is taking a look at
some of those celebrations in this
issue in hopes that our readers
enjoy the season.
HO! HO! HO! PEORIA!
Few people today realize that
the first Santa Claus Parade in
Peoria was actually on the Illinois
River. Floats were boats, so to
speak, and they went by in a line
in front of crowds lining the river
banks. It was 1887; Santa made
his first appearance at the end of
the parade the following year.
In subsequent years some of
the city’s largest retail depart-
ment stores sponsored the pa-
rades, first on the river and later
on city streets, and they were
known for extravagant floats, cir-
cus wagons and animals such as
live reindeer and even fireworks.
There was a long period of
time that Santa arrived in Peoria
on a train, then he climbed a fire
escape to reach his workshop on
the upper floor of one of those
department stores. There also
was a time that fireworks were
set off from the roof of a down-
town store to signal the start of
the parade.
The city can be proud of its
tradition and the fact it has never
let the parade become less than
spectacular, said Susie Stockman,
in her 25th year as chair of the
parade and her sixth year as Mrs.
Claus. The parade is presented by
Peoria Area Community Events
(
PACE).
CELEBRATING THE
HOLIDAYS IN STYLE
From a flotilla of floating floats to a train to an
oversized sleigh, Santa Claus has been arriving
in Peoria in grand fashion for 125 years.
He doesn’t look like he’s aged a bit.
Paul Gordon
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus close out the annual Santa Claus Parade in downtown Peoria every year.
The 125th annual parade is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 23 at 10:15 a.m.
