The twilight Santa’s Parade of Toys in Portage received a warm reception despite Saturday’s cold temperature.
Danny and Alyssa Wilkinson, of Portage, brought their kids and a few of their friends to the parade. “I love that we have an opportunity to do this together,” Alyssa said.
“It’s a great parade to bring the city together,” Danny said. “It fosters a sense of community.”
“My daughter is thrilled about the firetruck. She wants to be a firefighter,” Alyssa said. At age 5, her daughter has plenty of time to change her mind, but Alyssa was glad to have the opportunity to introduce her daughter to the loud noise when it wasn’t caused by an emergency.
“Layers to stay warm,” Danny said, was his strategy while watching the parade.
Nancy Buza, of Valparaiso, wanted to share the excitement of Christmas with her family. “We try to do whatever we can find,” she said. As a free event, “that’s always a plus, especially when there’s a lot of us.”
Amanda McKee, of Chesterton, was attending the parade for the first time. “I’m excited, mainly because my daughter’s excited,” she said.
Alice McKee, 5, was hoping to get some of her favorite candy along the route. She’s also looking forward to Christmas. “I want to see that when it’s Christmas, I get lots of presents,” she said.
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jordan James rode on the Toys for Tots float, urging people to donate toys for kids who wouldn’t get as many gifts as Alice. It’s nice to give to kids who wouldn’t otherwise have a good Christmas, he said.
Lillian Schultz, of Portage, wore a reindeer costume while marching in the parade. “I feel like the people here are going to warm up” in response to the parade, she said.
“I love it. It’s awesome. It brings the city together,” Councilwoman Gina Giese-Hurst said. She marched with Councilmen Ferdinand Alvarez and Bob Parnell.
Alvarez was happy to see such a big turnout for such a cold night. “My only regret is I didn’t bring any candy to throw,” he said.
Jennamarie Aboudhosn, founder of Jennamarie’s Dance and Fitness Studio, brought the Nutcracker cast with her. “It’s actually an awesome experience” to participate in the parade, she said. “We’re trying to get into the Portage culture.”
Heather Minard, of Valparaiso, walked behind the Shepherd Insurance float. “We like partaking with the community stuff,” she said, but hadn’t since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Robert Shumake, of Lake Station, wasn’t in the parade, but he got plenty of attention regardless in his Grinch costume. “On my way here, I had many kids ask for high-fives and wanting to get their pictures taken,” he said.
Mayor Austin Bonta and Santa lit the city’s Christmas tree at Founders Square afterward. “I think that we had a record number of entries,” he said. He was pleased with the turnout.
Some of his highlights from the parade were the Nutcracker cast and seeing the Grinch in a cage suspended from a tow truck. “I think the creativity was so awesome.”
“It’s a great experience for the families,” he said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.