As children anticipate the arrival of Christmas Eve one small community near Williams Lake will get a head start seeing the jolly man in the red suit.
“Santa Claus will be riding in a sleigh mounted on the top of our engine,” said Stan Pogue, chief of the Miocene volunteer fire department.
It’s a tradition that got its start in Miocene about five years ago when it was discovered that one of the fire department’s members happened to have an 1880’s original antique sleigh.
Volunteers made up a platform and wired the sleigh with light-emitting diode (LED) lights.
“Santa has a microphone so children can hear his ‘ho ho ho’ as we drive down the road,” Pogue said. “We also have a PA system we program with Christmas music.”
Every year the Santa visit to Miocene grows.
Residents wait at the bottom of their driveways to greet Santa, many with plates of goodies to “feed the fat cells,” Pogue said.
When the driver sees people he stops the truck and firefighters jump out to hand deliver stuffed toys, donated by the BC liquor store, and candy canes.
“When the kids see Santa their eyeballs go as big a saucers,” Pogue said. “It’s a real blast.”
The majority of the firefighters don’t have children around at home anymore so it’s a great way to celebrate Christmas Eve, he added.
Santa’s visit to Miocene will depart at the second cattle guard on Spokin Lake Road at 4 p.m. and will take about three and a half hours to complete.
“We cover about 80 per cent of our district,” Pogue said.