You better not pout, especially with the news that Santa Claus has altered his schedule due to the pandemic. In order to make sure people stay cheery throughout the season, he has bumped up the number of his visits to this city, the St. Albert Gazette has learned.
Santa, along with helper Missy Claus, will be making appearances on the St. Albert Trail pedestrian bridge (at the intersection of McKenney Avenue and Bellerose Drive). They will be waving to passersby while, more importantly, taking collections for Edmonton's Hope Mission.
"There has been a groundswell of folks begging Santa to come to their homes and daycares. We thought this might be the best solution," he wrote in an email.
Santa and Missy make their first appearance on Saturday, Nov. 14, returning again on Thursdays, Dec. 17 and 24. They will be on the bridge from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. each day.
Santa's busy schedule also helps Friends
The Friends of the Northern Alberta Children's Festival are friends of Santa too. Right now, the Friends have established a raffle with the prize being a personal (albeit appropriately physically distanced) visit or Zoom meeting with the jolly old elf himself. The personal visit can take place anywhere within St. Albert or Edmonton. The prize must be used between Dec. 16 and 23.
Until Dec. 9, you can visit rafflebox.ca/raffle/naicf to get your tickets. They cost $10 each or you can get 3 for $20. The draw will take place on Dec. 14. All proceeds will go to support the Childrens' Festival.
Birthday challenge for charity
Local Rotarian Laszlo Szojka told the Gazette a secret: he turns 50 this month.
While well-wishing is definitely in order, he has decided that in lieu of presents, he would prefer people pay it forward to where it's really needed.
"Due to COVID and no gatherings, I thought I would much rather have people donate to a worthy cause as we are all pretty fortunate," he explained in an emphatic email to the Gazette. "I have chosen the Mustard Seed because now, more than ever, there is a LOT OF NEED. So, I put a challenge up on my Facebook page and made it public."
People can visit facebook.com/donate/1179783335756723 to offer their contributions. His goal is to raise $5,000.
