ROCKWOOD – Mike Sharman has been attending the Rockwood Farmers’ Santa Claus Parade of Lights for as long as he can remember.
“The parade was one of those things as a kid that I wouldn’t miss,” said Sharman, who is part of the organizing committee for this year’s parade on Dec. 12.
He was little more than a baby when the first parade – a relatively impromptu event 32 years ago that saw a train of tractors decked out in lights make their way through the village – but he knows the story well.
The event was organized by a group called the 3rd and 4th Line March Blahs Committee and Friends, which was known for organizing dances and other just-for-fun events to get people through the winter months.
“One night, they decided that they needed to decorate their tractors and drive through Rockwood,” Sharman says with a laugh.
Their antics were so well received by the community, they were inspired to make it an annual tradition.
Sharman’s grandfather, whose farm on 4th Line Sharman now farms, was part of the original group that started the parade.
And now Sharman will be stringing lights on his own tractor, preparing to be part of the procession that will make its way through Rockwood this year.
“I’ve driven it the last 15 years,” he says, referring to the parade not the tractor.
“I try and switch it up,” he says of what he drives.
Roughly 25 machines are expected to take part in this year’s parade, and they will vary widely in size, shape.
“Every year it’s different, but typically the smallest thing you’d have is a self-propelled feed spreader,” Sharman says, noting on the larger end, there might be sprayers – all brightly lit.
When the parade first started, fewer of the participants had their own generators, so they shared and had to move carefully because they were connected by the strands of lights that ran from one tractor to another, he says.
These days it’s easier, particularly with LED lights that require less power.
“Pretty much everyone has their own generator that they mount on the machine somewhere,” Sharman says.
The machine Santa rides along with his missus is an enormous combine. And according to the folklore on the parade’s website, Mr. and Mrs. Claus are farmers, too, and are happy to join in the annual tradition.
“They called me and the Mrs. at the North Pole, to see if we’d join them on their tour,” Santa states in the “Legend of the Parade” section of the website, describing how he got involved in the event.
Santa and Mrs. Claus wave to spectators from their spot on a huge combine. Rockwood Farmers’ Santa Claus Parade of Lights Facebook photo
“Since we already had our harvest off, we thought we’d bring the combine down for the night, so we wouldn’t tire out Rudolph and the gang,” he states. “It’s a highlight of our season, and we wouldn’t want to miss it.”
It starts at 7pm on a farm on 5th Line, just outside Rockwood. The procession then makes its way into town as far as the stop light, where it turns right, heading west toward Guelph on Highway 7.
When the parade reaches 4th Line Eramosa, it turns right again, heading back toward the North Pole.
People who want to see the parade in the village of Rockwood need to get there early.
“The village fills up quickly so it might be wise to give yourself lots of time,” the website recommends.
It notes many shops in town are open before and after the parade for those who still have Christmas shopping to do.
Spectators line snow-covered roads to take in the unique spectacle. Rockwood Farmers’ Santa Claus Parade of Lights Facebook photo
Sharman has his own recommendation for the best place to watch.
“I’m biased, because I live on the 4th Line, but I’ve always found it to be best to be on the 4th Line” away from the lights of town, he says. “It’s completely dark, so it’s more of a spectacle.”
It takes a while for the parade to get over there, but Sharman still suggests being early – no later than 7:30pm – and reminds people to be aware that the road will be closed before the parade.
Parade signs will direct people to parking, which is available in a field on his farm, he says.
There, Sharman says Santa often says hello to the familiar local children.
“The looks on their faces when he calls them out by name is pretty entertaining,” says Sharman.
The event is a lot of work to put on, he says, but it has the added bonus of helping to raise awareness of all the hard work farmers do, and he enjoys being part of it.
“It feels good to be able to put something on for the community,” he says.
