As children begin counting down the days until the Old St. Nick boards up his eight reindeer from the North Pole on Christmas Eve, it’s custom to tell him your wants and wishes. But Santa Claus wants to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy this year. So instead of sitting on his lap, a parade will be held in honor of all the little excited boys and girls of Dickinson this weekend.
The Santa Parade kicks off at 11:30 a.m. at the Dickinson Fire Department Station 1 — or 25 Second Ave. West. Along with Santa Claus, the Dickinson Fire and Police departments will escort Santa down Villard Avenue and the last stop will be at Players Sports Bar & Grill at noon. This is the first year Players Sports Bar & Grill is participating in the event and General Manager Courtney Newton couldn’t be more excited to offer something fun for families this holiday season.
“We just wanted to do something for the community because of the (COVID-19) restrictions. We realized there isn’t a lot of chances for people to see Santa. I realize we always have Santa at the (Prairie Hills) Mall, that’s great. But now, you have to see him by appointment and some families might not be able to go so Players wanted to be able to offer Santa for families to take pictures and to do certain types of things like that,” Newton said.
Santa will be going around the parking lot at Players, taking pictures with families who may not want to leave their vehicles. Then he will enter inside the restaurant and take pictures with anyone who’d like to take a photo with him. All the pictures with Santa will be free of charge.
“What I’m looking forward to is just being able to give the Dickinson community something to do and some kids to look forward to. I’m excited to have kids of Dickinson (to) be able to have a chance to see Santa,” Newton said. “Even though it’s been a pandemic, it might have been a little scary for them this year but this is something we can provide for them that is going to be safe. We will be doing everything in our power to make sure that it is safe, and masks will be worn. And we just want to make sure that every single kid has a chance to see Santa who may not have otherwise been able to due to the pandemic.”
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To uplift your holiday spirit, check out Santa Claus boogying Saturday in downtown Dickinson.
