Fire Trucks and Police Vehicles gathered at Lakeside Park last Thursday to depart at 5:30 p.m., for their annual “Lights Parade with Santa” to benefit the Big Lake Community Food Shelf.   

The emergency personnel drove around Big Lake and Lake Mitchell with Santa and Mrs. Claus.  A trailer pulled by a Big Lake Police Vehicle had the Grinch locked in a jail cell.  If citizens wished to “bail” him out, a small donation to the food shelf was accepted.   

The parade continued south on Eagle Lake Rd, turning onto Minnesota Ave before pulling into the City Hall parking lot bathing the waiting crowd of more than one hundred fifty in flashing red and blue. 

This year, the BLFD partnered with the city to end the parade at City Hall for a tree lighting ceremony.  Friends and families clustered together around bonfire pits, sipping on hot cocoa, making s’mores, and eating cookies.  The 10 gallons of cocoa, 100 s’mores kits, and 100 cookies were all given away free of charge, donated generously by Style Catering, Blackbird Coffee, and Bruce and Lenette Brown.  

More than one child could be seen with marshmallow all over their face. 

Inside City Hall, the Wave Youth Center had a craft station where kids could make ornaments. Members of the National Honor Society were making “Well Wishes” to be handed out to seniors at a local nursing home.  Santa and Mrs. Claus disembarked their float and headed inside to pose with eager children.

Ketti Green, a former member of the Big Lake Planning Commission, organized the event for the city.  Her hope is that the tree lighting will become an annual event for the city and it seemed like the event had exceeded expectations.  

At 6:45 p.m., the Big Lake Chamber Choir began to sing and at 7 p.m., Green led a countdown to light the tree purchased locally from Wolcyn Tree Farms and Nursery in Cambridge.