Secure your business this Christmas season. In recent weeks a number of downtown properties and businesses have been broken in to as thieves gained entry into buildings by removing door lock cylinders. It is recommended that all door entries have a special door entry "protective collar" installed as well as an adequate alarm system. If you would like more information on local Security companies providing these services please contact the DDC office at 579 4139.

Over 50,000 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 2005 Downtown Christmas Parade. 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 16,000 pounds of food was collected in aid of the Community Food Sharing Association as well as several thousand dollars in loonies and twoonies. Securicor, a Downtown Company and also helped collect coins along the Parade route.

The winners of various categories for the 2005 Downtown Parade were:

Best Float Over 20 Feet:
1. St. John’s First Assembly Kid Connection
2 Metrobus
3 Exit Realty

Best Float Under 20 Feet :
1. Rovers Ground Search and Rescue
2. Nerds On Site
3. Gold Wing Road Riders Association

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

Best Marching Band
1. Salvation Army Citadel Band
2. 2355 CLB Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corp
3. 166 RCSCC Fort Townshend Sea Cadets

Best Cheerleading Group
1. Bishop’s College
2. St. Kevin’s High School
3. Prince of Wales Collegiate

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.

The annual Downtown Christmas Parade is going ahead as scheduled today starting at 1:30 pm from the Memorial Stadium parking lot. The Parade travels up Kings Bridge Road through Cavendish Square, down Duckworth Street to Prescott Street. Down Prescott Street to Water Street. Continues along Water Street and ends at the CN Railway Coastal Museum. For more information please call 726 8244.

Santa Claus is Coming to Downtown!

The Annual Downtown Christmas Parade, takes place Sunday November 27th at 1:30 pm (December 4th, cancellation date).

Join Santa and his zanny cast of clowns and characters, marching bands, performing groups and colourful floats as they make their way through historic Downtown St. John's.

Non-persihable food items as well as loonies and twoonies will be collected along the Parade route in aid of the Community Foof Sharing Association.

Kid, don't forget your letters to Santa!

Need a lift to the Parade...ride the Metrobus Santa Shuttle. The Metrobus Santa Shuttle is a free service provide by Metrobus, the City of St. John's and the Downtown Development Commission that will be used to transport spectators to the Parade. Buses will be departing from Bowring Park and the Confederation Building starting at 12:00 noon.

For more information about the Metrobus Santa Shuttle, call the Ride Guide at 722-9400. For details about the Parade call the Parade Hotline ay SANTA-HI (726-8244).

Need a lift to the Downtown Christmas Parade on Sunday November 27th? Ride the Metrobus Santa Shuttle! The Metrobus Santa Shuttle is a new, free service provided by Metrobus, the City of St. John’s, and the Downtown Development Commission that will be used to transport spectators to the Downtown Christmas Parade. The Santa Shuttle will operate similar to the “Park-n-Ride” Shuttle that was used for St. John’s Maple Leafs hockey games, with the pick up sites located at the Confederation Building parking lot (behind the west block) and Bowring Park parking lot (on Brookfield Road).

Buses will begin leaving the Confederation Building Parking lot, on a load and go basis, at 12:00 noon. Buses departing from the Confederation Building location will drop Parade spectators off on Bannerman Road (next to Bannerman Park). Spectators will have to walk the short distance to the Parade route from there. The Parade starts at 1:30 pm and will last a little over an hour. Once everyone has seen Santa, those who took the Shuttle to the Parade from the Confederation Building can return to Bannerman Road and get back on the buses (they will be waiting there starting at 2:30 pm).

The Santa Shuttle buses coming from Bowring Park will also depart for the Parade beginning at 12:00 noon, once again on a load and go basis. Buses leaving Bowring Park will drop Parade spectators off at Mile One Stadium. When the Parade is over those who came to see Santa from the Bowring Park site can get back on the Shuttle buses, which will be waiting for them at Mile One starting at 3:30 pm.

Gaylynne Lambert, Marketing and Special Events Coordinator for the Downtown Development Commission (DDC) feels that the Metrobus Santa Shuttle is an excellent edition to the Downtown Christmas Parade, “The Shuttle is a great way for families who have no transportation or want to leave their vehicles at home to get Downtown and see Santa. And it is free!” Lambert says that, “we hope that those families who ride the Shuttle to the Parade, and can afford it, will donate a loonie or a twoonie in aid of Community Food Sharing Association instead of paying a fare”.

Ms. Lambert encourages everyone to arrive Downtown a little early to secure their favorite spot to see Santa and to take in all Downtown has to offer this time of year. Lambert says, “Grab a coffee or a hot chocolate and take your family on a stroll through Downtown. You could even do a little Christmas shopping and take in the atmosphere created by the on street decorations and the colourful store windows.”

For more information about the Metrobus Santa Shuttle you can call the Parade hotline at SANTA-HI (726-8244) or call the Metrobus Ride Guide at 722-9400.

Firefighters brought a fire under control in downtown St. John's on Monday morning. Flames could be seen from the top floor and roof of Ballistic, a popular skateboard and snowboard store on Water Street. Crews were able to contain the fire to the building, which suffered substantial damages on its second and third storeys. Adjacent businesses Home on Water Street and Annika's suffered minor smoke and water damage and are expected to re-open in a day or two.

The fire was reported at about 4:30 a.m., and tenants of apartments in the block were forced to leave their homes. However, crews were able to vent the building so that the fire burned upwards, and not to adjacent buildings.

"They got the fire out," said Wyatt. "I just got a bit of smoke and water damage. I'm just glad the fire department did a really good job."

"I was just shaking," said Connie Thompson, the landlord of apartments just two doors away from the blaze.

"I was just worried about the tenants, just getting them out, because it can happen so fast. If it [had] been windy, it would have been a lot worse. So thank God – I just prayed to St. Jude that they would be OK."

Employee Evelyn Dray said she couldn't believe her eyes, and said the timing couldn't be worse with the busy Christmas season gearing up.

"[It's] pretty crazy to see Ballistic burned down because it's such a popular store in Newfoundland … that's where every kid shops, pretty much," said Dray.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is investigating, but there's no word yet on what caused the fire.

Police closed sections of Water and Duckworth streets while crews tackled the fire.

Excerpt CBC Radio Monday, Nov 14, 2005