The vehicles in the truck parade trundling out of Ogden Point and across the capital region on Saturday night to delight thousands of spectators were shiny, bright, and full of Christmas spirit, though some went through a few unexpected alterations during the journey.
Lt. Kevin Philp of Malahat Fire Rescue faced a repair job when he pulled into the parking lot at Ogden Point and found out that half of the decorative lights on his fire truck wouldn’t turn on because of a blown plug.
“We had to scramble when we got here for the first half hour and sort of improvise,” he said. “It’s a little thinner [on the lights] than we planned, but we got it done.”
Jim Johnson, a driver with Third Wave, a bus company that helps transport students with disabilities in the Sooke School District, said the inflatable Santa decoration on his bus had a little accident earlier on Saturday.
It sat on top of the roof, deflated.
“We were trying to put it in the garage so we could go to lunch and I guess we just caught poor Santa somehow,” he said with a laugh.
However, the bus was still decked out with lights, Christmas tree, and a jerry-rigged celebratory sound device that Johnson said was called the “hooga horn.”
Johnson said he would be keeping an eye out for some of his students who would be out along the 35-kilometre parade route.
Parade organizer Wendy Watt said in past parades there have been last-minute drop-outs due to issues with weather, road conditions or mechanical problems but every entry was able to come this year.
By 5 p.m., a sizeable crowd had gathered along Dallas Road near Ogden Point to watch the 80 trucks, buses, cars and other vehicles start a tour of six municipalities in the capital region, from Victoria to Langford, in what is officially called the Island Equipment Owners Association Truck Parade and Food Drive.
Gus Underwood and group of seven others established themselves in a parking spot, where they set up camping chairs and popped open a vehicle trunk for the kids to peer out of.
Underwood, who has attended at least a dozen truck parades, said they had arrived 90 minutes early from Central Saanich to secure the spot.
The truck parade is an annual tradition for his two kids, both of whom have birthdays that fall in early December.
Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson said he firmly believes that the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Goldstream Avenue is the best place to see the truck parade. “I’m biased here,” he said with a laugh. “But I like the fact that they slow down on the corner.”
At Veterans Memorial Park, thousands lined up for free hot drinks, hotdogs, and photos with Santa as part of Langford’s annual light-up festivities.
Attendees went through 2,200 hot dogs by the end of the night.
Hundreds strolled along Station Avenue, where festive lights and various attraction stretched along the city’s cultural district.
A sudden burst of rain left people scrambling for cover but crowds kept steadily growing through the night.
With higher than anticipated turnout organizers ran out of hot apple cider by 6 p.m. and city staff had to make an emergency restock of candy canes at the dollar store across the road.
Hundreds rushed to the intersection at 7:30 p.m. shortly after the tree light-up, but it would be another half an hour of waiting until the first truck arrived shortly after 8 p.m.
Char Hebden, who was working the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Goldstream Avenue as a crossing guard, said people usually stick around until the whole truck parade goes through.
“It’s a neat way to get into the Christmas spirit,” she said.
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