Miracle of Mackenzie festivities have saved Revelstoke from being a big ole Grinch after our annual parade was cancelled this year due to low participation and dwindling volunteer numbers.
The short evening show on Saturday, Dec. 10, will run from 3–5 p.m., with families lining First Street and Mackenzie Avenue to watch Mr. Claus and Mrs. Claus on their way to Revelstoke’s geographic heart — Grizzly Plaza — where they will light a 25-foot Christmas tree.
Festival organizer and EZ Rock Revelstoke host Shaun Aquiline said it will be an interactive show that will bring a touch of Christmas cheer to Revelstoke.
“It’s for the little guy and little girl who light up when they see the lights and see Santa,” Aquiline said.
Revelstoke has always been a little snow crazy. Ice carnivals have been held throughout the years and our first Winter Sports Carnival in 1915 ran until the 1970s. Schoolboys fought formidable snowball battles around a huge snowman and there was an annual outhouse race through the downtown.
In recent history Revelstoke’s parade was popular in the ’90s, but today there is no annual celebration.
“Sometimes when things fall down, they can be picked back up,” Aquiline said. “Sometimes you have to lose it in order to go, you know, we should do that. Maybe next year there will be a committee that is really willing to put together a big parade.”
The Miracle on Mackenzie committee has drawn together the business community to make this year’s event happen, with performances from local school kids, a crafts corner in Conversations Coffee House, A Christmas Story will show at The Roxy for $2 and Tim Hortons will provide free hot drinks.
As Revelstoke grows as a tourist attraction and highway access gets better, is there an opportunity to grow our Christmas spirit? Aquiline uses the Bavarian-modeled town of Leavenworth in Washington as an example. He says the town of 1,900 people displays half a million lights at Christmas, drawing a crowd of 15,000 people daily to the town.
“All we have is potential,” Aquiline said. “We just need to tap it.”
Miracle of Mackenzie — Saturday, Dec. 10 from 3–5 p.m. in Revelstoke’s downtown.
This story was first published in the December edition of the Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine.
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