Annual Nahant Santa Parade set for Saturday evening regardless of weather

NAHANT – Regardless of what Mother Nature has in store for the North Shore, the Nahant Santa Parade will go on as scheduled on Saturday evening.Roz Puleo, who is one of the organizers, said the parade would not be canceled regardless of the weather.”The parade will go on snow, sleet or shine,” she said. “The parade will shine regardless of the weather and we are encouraging everyone to come out for it.”Co-organizer Lt. Thomas Hutton added the parade is like the mail.”The parade is a tradition,” he said. “That tradition will continue regardless of what Mother Nature throws at us.”He said the parade traditionally draws participants and spectators from all over the North Shore and he doesn’t expect this year to be any different.”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. “The parade gets larger every year and we want it to continue to grow. We encourage everyone to participate.”Hutton admits the weather and predicted snowfall could serve as a deterrent for parade participants and spectators but he said the roads in Nahant would be clear.”The roads in Nahant will be clear from curb to curb,” he said. “Department of Public Works Director Robert Ward assured me the roads would be bare and there would be no problem for participants and spectators.”Hutton said participating in and attending the parade would be worth braving the weather.”It’s all in the spirit of the season,” he said. “It’s worth it just to see the smiles on everyone’s faces – from the smallest child to the elderly watching from the Jesmond Nursing Home.”Hutton said the parade would step off from The Tides parking lot on Saturday at 6 p.m. sharp. He said anyone who would like to enter a unit in the parade should be at the Long Beach parking lot staging area no later than 5 p.m. on Dec. 20.The 4.5-mile parade route will start at the Long Beach Parking Lot and move onto Nahant Road. It will travel up Nahant Road to Castle Road, Gardner Road, Bass Point Road and onto Tri-Mountain Road. From Tri-Mountain the parade will turn back onto Castle Road continue to Flash Road then Emerald Road, Willow Road and Cliff Street. The parade will turn off Cliff Street and back onto Nahant Road to Little Nahant Road and Wilson Road. It will conclude at the Tides Restaurant.Hutton said last year more than 75 units participated in the parade and he is hoping for a good turnout again this year despite the weather.Hutton said parade goers would be allowed to park in municipal parking lots that are normally open only to town residents. Vehicles will be allowed to park in the Lowlands lot across from the Coast Guard Station, the Coast Guard Station parking lot and on side streets.