Santa Claus is coming to town and Airdrie locals have the chance to see the big man during the Santa Claus Parade on Saturday.
 
The parade will take place starting at 5 pm, but the roads featuring the floats will close at 4:30. With the road closures, locals are encouraged to take their time getting downtown Saturday.
 
Lynn Kehoe, Chair of the Airdrie Parade Committee describes where exactly the parade will be travelling this year and what locals should do in order to properly respect road closures.
 
"The parade starts at 6th Avenue and goes all the way down to Ridgegate along Main Street. All of the feeder streets in that segment of Main Street are closed. They will be closed from 4:30 to 6:30."
 
Kehoe says locals should be prepared for the road closures and take their time getting anywhere downtown.
 
"We're really adamant this year about Main Street closing. We're hoping to make people aware. Take your time, go get a coffee, go out for dinner, do something downtown while we wait for the roads to open and for everybody to get safely back to their cars."
 
However, with all the holiday happiness parading down Main, emergencies and accidents are still possible. Urgent Care will still be open and operational, says Kehoe.
 
"You'll be able to enter Urgent Care from the north end or the south end of Main Street and there's one lane open on the east side of Main all the way down the parade route. There will be municipal enforcement and RCMP at either end directing ambulances and anyone that needs to access that emergency route, so you'll have help if you need to access the emergency facilities downtown."
 
Following a tragic death in Nova Scotia where a small girl was run over by a parade float, no candy will be thrown this year and Kehoe reminds parents to keep a close eye on their children.
 
"Going forward, we will never allow candy again. It's just one of those things. It's such a tragedy and people never think it's going to happen, but sadly it did. I just can't stress enough that we're not trying to be ogres and we're not trying to ruin the event. But kids are so excited at that time of year and they're so excited about that candy to be thrown that they dart out so fast. It just happens in a blink. Unfortunately, the easiest way to fix it is just to not throw the candy."
 
Children are fast, and with all the excitement it can be easy to lose them. Kehoe suggests teaching your children to stay in one spot and let the parade pass by.
 
"Just be vigilant with your kids. Teach them to sit on the edge and just enjoy the parade. They can sit right on the curb and enjoy the parade and watch everything going by. There's no need to stand because it's just a show going by. Enjoy it for what it is: the music, the lights, the entertainment and the Spirit of Christmas."
 
 
Comments? Questions? Story ideas? Email us at news@discoverairdrie.com