PIOPIO’S Christmas parade is a source of pride and friendly competition.
PIOPIO’s Christmas Parade is tomorrow. Organising committee spokeswoman Carley Simpson is happy to see it going ahead. “We have a few floats entered and are looking forward to seeing them all and … the effort everyone puts in. We are all excited for this parade.” Curious Keas childcare director Steph Brough said they started work on their float on Monday. “We are so excited, it’s always a very exciting time for children and their families. “You remember from your own childhod the smells and sights and sounds of Christmas and we try our best to create those memories for them.” The centre will have 20-25 children in their float, and Steph is keeping her lips sealed about its theme. “It is probably a bit of a secret. It gets a bit secretive around Piopio, so I might keep to that. But it might be a bit tricky, or a bit cheeky, and there’s lots of red involved.” Will the kids be taking part? “Kinda. They do help us. They will do the painted background skirt for the outside [of the trailer] and help decorate. “Then there’s lots of arty things that go on that the teachers do.” Carley said the parade’s usual fairground entertainments at the village green could only go ahead if the weather held off – not guaranteed with this year’s unusually high rainfall. “We are hoping for awesome weather so the kids’ rides will be available,” she said. Organisers are relieved the parade will happen this year after the easing of Covid restrictions. “Last year was the first ever time the parade was cancelled,” Cody said. That year, Piopio locals drove the fire engine through the township’s streets giving out lollies to the children. The parade is normally on Christmas Eve, but this years’ unusual timing is due to the big day falling on a weekend. In these cases, it is always held on the Friday instead. “We’re almost not sure what to do with ourselves on Christmas Eve,” said Steph. Her family tradition, as for many people in the community, is to attend the parade followed by a visit to the Cosmopolitan club. The Piopio parade is one of many seasonal events in the township and its districts. Earlier in December, Waitanguru children had their faces painted and spent the day decorating gingerbread. This past weekend, Santa visited the Mairoa hall, giving out gifts to approximately a dozen children and teenagers. Last year, only two children attended the Mairoa Hall event, leading to concerns such community events were fading out. But this year saw the return of the usual crowd of youngsters, who enjoyed the hall’s recently installed playground. The days of the famous lolly scramble arriving from the skies via sheep and beef farmer Pete Voyce’s plane are a thing of the past, thanks to occupational health and safety rules. This year the lollies were batted down from the hall roof courtesy of a local farmer and his tennis racquet.
