Nahant readies for Christmas parade fundraiser

NAHANT – As the countdown to Christmas begins, the Nahant Santa Parade Committee is gearing up for its biggest fundraiser of the year.An organizational meeting will be held this evening at 7 p.m. at the police station. The committee expects to finalize plans for a fundraising event, which will be at The Tides on Saturday, Dec. 13.Co-organizers Lt. Thomas Hutton and Roz Puleo said the committee is looking for donations of gift certificates and other items for a raffle, which will be held that evening. The parade committee is also raffling off an all expense paid cruise for two to Bermuda on the Norwegian Cruise Line. Puleo said only 500 raffle tickets are being sold. Tickets are available at the police department daily from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and are $10 each. The winning ticket will be drawn on Dec. 13 at the event at The Tides. Hutton said the parade committee pays approximately $3,000 for the cruise so if all the raffle tickets are sold the parade committee would only raise $2,000.Puleo said the parade committee pays all costs associated with the parade and any additional monies are donated to charitable causes.Hutton added the parade committee has donated $1,000 every year to Item Santa, which works with the Salvation Army to provide gifts to area children. He pointed out the parade committee awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors and donates money to My Brother’s Table, a soup kitchen in Lynn.”This year we’re all a little concerned,” he said. “Times are tough and people aren’t donating like they have in the past. But when times are tough is when it’s even more important to be able to make the donations we make to Item Santa and My Brother’s Table.”Puleo said the parade committee pays for and puts up all the Christmas decorations around town, including the Town Hall decorations, wreaths that adorn the light poles and decorations for the large tree at the entrance to town.Hutton said none of the parade organizers or participants get paid for their involvement in the parade.”Everyone involved does it in the spirit of the season,” he said. “It’s a lot of work but it’s worth every minute of it just to see the smiles. Every person has a smile on their face – from the smallest child on the parade route to the seniors at Jesmond Nursing Home.”The parade is scheduled to step off from The Tides parking lot on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 6 p.m.Hutton said the parade gets larger every year and he encouraged people from neighboring communities to participate.”Anybody with a float that is ready for the Lynn Parade on Christmas Eve is more than welcome to put it in our parade,” he said. “We encourage everyone to participate.”Anyone who would like to make a donation to the parade should send a check made payable to Nahant Christmas Parade, Equitable Bank, 28 Nahant Road, Nahant, MA 01908. Anyone who would like to contribute an item for the raffle fundraiser at the Tides should contact Puleo at 781-581-1212.