PEORIA Ill. (WMBD) — The Santa Claus parade is a tradition spanning more than 135 years.
This year, the Peoria Area Community Events team is re-creating a circus wagon float. That’s because some of the original floats were converted circus wagons.
The original circus wagon float was stripped down to the frame and narrowed to show off the original steel wheels.
Co-chair Robin Barnes has been a part of the Santa Claus parade for 40 years. She said seeing the excitement on the kids faces during the parade makes all the hard work worth it.
“Watching the kids, ya know along the streets they’re all excited to fill their bags with candy and of course, they want to see Santa Claus. People bring their kids, their grandkids, their great-grandkids to the parade each year and they line the streets and get to enjoy the parade and the lights are lit at the courthouse downtown so, it’s a fun event,” said Barnes.
You can watch the annual Santa Claus parade live on WMBD starting at 10:30 a.m. on Friday Nov. 24. The parade will be hosted by WMBD’s very own Rebecca Brumfield and Bob Larson.
