Village Green takes part in night parade
When darkness fell on the Greater Napanee area Dec. 3, a Village Green float hit the streets.

With maintenance manager Brian McPherson at the wheel of his truck and his daughter in the passenger seat, they led a lit nativity scene through the Christmas parade.

“The trend in holiday parades these days seems to be heading in the direction of night light parades,” says Brian.

“Although most people would agree this is a very beautiful way to celebrate the holiday season…from the standpoint of trying to put together a float for one of these parades, it's logistically more challenging.”

Village Green already had the lit nativity scene which is usually displayed inside the Selby long-term care home at Christmas time. Ken Tollouch Construction donated the materials and built the stable which provided a backdrop for both the float and the lit nativity scene. He’s hopeful residents will be able to join the parade next year.

Brian says it has been at least five years since Village Green entered a float. “We wanted to get some exposure in the community,” says Brian. “Let people know we’re around.”

The nativity scene is now set up outdoors and residents can see it while they eat their meals in the dining room.

“The wondrous thing about this float is that when we disassembled it we were able to set it up as a Christmas decorative display for the residents to enjoy. As challenging as this project was we hope to be able to participate and maybe even expand our entries in future celebrations.”