Almost 60,000 spectators had their Christmas wishes granted as they were treated to a fantastic array of floats, marching bands, dancing groups, cheerleaders and zany characters at the 2004 Downtown Christmas Parade. Under clear blue skies, the Parade made its way from the former Memorial Stadium through historic Downtown St. John’s with Santa’s hearty “Ho Ho Ho” delighting the thousands of children who came to see him.

Employees of Newfoundland Power, a corporate sponsor of the event, were out in full force gathering food for Santa’s annual food drive. Over 17,000 pounds of food was collected in aid of the Community Food Sharing Association as well more than $4000.00 in loonies and twoonies. Securicor, a Downtown Company, made a $500.00 donation to the Community Food Sharing Association and also helped collect coins along the Parade route.

The winners of various categories for the 2004 Downtown Parade were:

Best Float Over 20 Feet:
1 St. John’s First Assembly Kid Connection
2 Academy Canada / Easter Seals
3 CBC

Best Float Under 20 Feet :
1. Nerds on Site
2. Federation of Agriculture
3. Waste Management Services

Best Performing Groups
1. Barbara Ashley School of Dance
2. Judy Knee Dance Studio
3. Connie Parsons School of Dance

Best Marching Band
1. 2355 CLB Royal Canadian Army Cadet Band
2. 2415 Gonzaga Royal Army Cadet Corps
3. 514 Kinsmen Air Cadet Squadron

Best Cheerleading Group
1. Bishop’s College
2. Prince of Wales Collegiate
3. O’ Donel High

There will be no time to rest as Santa will be busy answering a sleigh full of letters collected by his special elves from Canada Post.

The Downtown Development Commission would like to thank Newfoundland Power, McDonald’s, The Express, NTV, OZ FM, The Newfoundland Herald, as well as the hundreds of Parade participants, volunteers and community agencies who made the event such a success.

For more information

Please contact
Gaylynne Lambert
Marketing and Special Events Coordinator
Downtown Development Commission
726-8244
gaylynne@downtownstjohns.com

The Annual Downtown Christmas Parade is going ahead today at 1:30 pm starting from the Memorial Stadium parking lot. The Parade will make its way through historic downtown, travelling along Duckworth Street to Prescott Street then along Water Street before finishing at the Railway Coastal Museum on Water Street west.

Don't forget your letter to Santa and your non-perishable food item or loonies/toonies for the Community Food Sharing Association.

Please be advised that most streets in and around the downtown will be closed at 12 noon. Parking is available at the Fortis Properties lots on Harbour Drive for $5.00 in aid of the Iris Kirby House. Please use Prescott Street and Waldegrave Street to access Harbour Drive.

The Downtown Christmas Parade is brought to you by the Downtown Development Commission and supported by Newfoundland Power, McDonald's, OZ FM, NTV and The Express.

For the seventh consecutive year Vestfjardaleid Travel, an Icelandic tour operator, will be bringing approximately 500 Icelanders to St. John's. This year, there will be two separate groups of approximately 250 passengers. The first group is scheduled to arrive on a privately chartered aircraft on Wednesday, November 24 at 9:50 a.m. and depart on Saturday, November 27 at 6:00 p.m. The second group will arrive on Sunday, November 28 at 9:50 a.m. and will depart on Wednesday, December 1, at 6:00 p.m.

It is anticipated that the Icelanders will be doing a significant amount of Christmas shopping while in the city. Popular shopping items for the Icelanders include clothing, toys, Christmas decorations, footwear, sportswear, personal care products, CDs and DVDs, household items, and computer software/games. In addition to shopping, the Icelanders are expected to do sightseeing tours of the city and surrounding areas, as well as take in the annual downtown Christmas Parade. While in St. John's, the Icelanders will also be dining out around the city, and taking in the vibrant nightlife of George Street.

To spread some Christmas cheer, Fortis Properties will be offering parking in its downtown parking lots - Prescott Street; Harbour Drive; New Gower Street; Cabot Place Garage (Delta Hotel); and Springdale Street - for $5.00 on Sunday, November 28, 2004 during the downtown Christmas parade. All proceeds from parking will be donated to the Iris Kirby House. Fortis Properties’ staff will also be serving free hot chocolate outside the Fortis Building on Water Street during parade time. All are welcome to drop by to share in the holiday spirit!

For further information, contact:

Gail Tucker

Corporate Communications Manager, Fortis Properties Corporation

737-2927

Robert Seymour says he got a "sickening feeling" upon entering his downtown St. John's business Nov 15. Co-owners of Outfitters, a Water Street shop specializing in outdoor equipment and clothing, Seymour and his business partner, Jonathon Earle, were shocked to discover that the store had been broken into sometime overnight Nov 14.

"It certainly impacts a person," Seymour said with a sigh. "It's definitely a violation".

Theives entered the shop using what appeared to have been a calculated, well- thought-out plan. They used a tool to pry open a heavy-guage steel door at the back of the shop - a door Seymour said is extra-reinforced on th einside and was seemingly fool-proof - and once inside, took thousands of dollars worth of equipment, including Helly Hansen, The North Face, Sierra Designs and Mountain Hardware jackets, pants, shirts, backpacks, heart-rate monitors, geo-positioning systems and tools including knives, axes and shovels.

The RNC believes the theives were well-prepared for the crime and possibly had a vehicle parked in an alley behind the store to hold the stock and in which to make their getaway.

Seymour said the approximate retail value of th eitems taken from the store is in the range of $40,000 with thousands more added on for damage.

For Seymour and Earle, the theft was especially hard because it's so close to Christmas. "At this time of year, you put so much emphasis into the time that's gone into selecting the product and merchandising it and this past Thursday was normally our busiest time of the year with the tax-free day downtown," he said. "It's just frustrating."

Something else the pair found frustrating was the fact that some clients passed on tax-free day, having heard about the theft and thinking the store would be closed or out of stock. The truth is Seymour and Earle have been scrambling since the theft to put new stock on th eshelves, rushing orders and putting out what inventory they had left.

With more stock expected to arrive in the next couple of weeks, Seymour is optimistic that the store will be ready for the busy shopping season. "We still have lots of stock and we can certainly service the community but we're going to have to order more in," he said. "We'll be in good shape for the Christmas season, for sure."

Meanwhile, Seymour said he and Earle have been getting great support from many regular customers and fellow downtown business-owners who have dropped by to offer their sympathy and best wishes.

Seymour said one way members of the the public can help is by keeping their eyes open for anyone selling their store's merchandise. "A lot of these items you're only going to see in a specialty store such as ours. They're rather unique, colourful, high-end merchandise," he said.

"If people are approached to purchase these items at discount prices way below the actual value be suspicious and report it to local authorities or give us a call."

The RNC is asking anyone with any information on the theft to contact them at 729 8000 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1 800 222 TIPS.

By Tara Bradbury Bennett, The Telegram, November 22.

The free Santa Shuttle service that was intended to transport spectators to the 2004 Downtown Christmas Parade has been cancelled. The Shuttle, a joint project of the City of St. John’s, Metrobus, and the Downtown Development Commission (DDC), was shelved yesterday due to the ongoing labour negotiations between Metrobus and the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1462.

The Santa Shuttle would have operated in a similar manner as the park-n-ride service used for the St. John’s Maple Leafs hockey games, except it would have been free of charge. DDC Marketing and Special Events Coordinator Gaylynne Lambert says that
“the Santa Shuttle would have been an excellent edition to the Downtown Christmas Parade, but unfortunately it was just a matter of bad timing.”

Ms. Lambert says that the ground work has already been laid for this project and all concerned are hopeful that the Santa Shuttle will be in place for 2005. DDC Executive Director Scott Cluney states that, “In the past the DCC has worked very well with management and staff of Metrobus, and we look forward to working with them on this and other projects in the future.

The 2004 Downtown Christmas Parade takes place on Sunday, November 28th at 1:30 pm.

It's that time of year again and everyone's heading downtown for the annual Downtown Tax Free Event. It's happening all day Thursday, November 18. Check out the Express and the Telegram on Wednesday for information on participating stores.

Elections to the DDC Board of Management are taking place this month. If you own or operate a business within the Business Improvement Area (BIA) and are interested in the issues affecting business in downtown St. John's, than we'd like to hear from you.

Deadline for nominations is November 24 and you can pick up your nomination form at the DDC office at 155 Water Street, Suite 202 or from the City Clerk's office, 4th floor City Hall. You can also download them online below.

BIA Nomination Memo
BIA Nomination Form

For more information about becoming a DDC Board member call 579 4139.