SOURIS – Norah Trowbridge was sitting on a picnic bench in the back of her grandfather's truck.
She, her sister and her cousins do this every year, and they weren’t the only one’s parking alongside the streets of Souris. Despite it being a snowy and blustery afternoon, the town was bustling with excitement.
The weather wasn’t keeping the Trowbridge’s from being a part of it.
“We have hot chocolate and cookies with us, too,” Norah said.
The 39th Annual Souirs Christmas Parade started at about 2 p.m. on Dec. 7. Many children were jumping with anticipation for the parade floats to finally arrive.
Some of the floats included racing lawnmowers, a slew of horses, and an incarcerated Grinch.
Nine-years-old Greenlee Oickle is a big fan of the Grinch, but clarified it wasn’t because he despised Christmas, rather because he just had too small a heart at the beginning of the animated TV special.
“But in the end, he changes his mind in the Christmas spirit.”
She had been to the Souris parade before. She likes when people participating in the parade toss candy, her favourite being the non-flavoured candy canes.
“Just the regular ones.”
Mayor JoAnne Dunphy was one of many keeping warm inside while enjoying the parade going on outside.
Shortly before it started, parade organizers told Dunphy there were a few additional floats showing up to take part.
“That we didn’t know about. So that’s great, we’re happy if they come," she said in a phon interview with The Guardian.
The parade was a finale for the town's Christmas Festival, which started on Nov. 29. Some of the week’s events included Christmas concerts, craft and bake sales, and a free skate at the Eastern Kings Sportsplex.
"We always get a great crowd at all the events."
One of the events was a tree lighting at the Main St. gazebo on Dec. 3. There were about 120 people in attendance, as well as some warm apple cider, Dunphy said.
While there weren’t any specific themes during this year’s festivities, Dunphy already has next year’s 40th anniversary in mind.
“Next year’s a big one. There’ll probably be a few extra celebrations.”
