Santa float primped, repaired, ready for parade

Santa's reindeer are once again on solid footing and preparing for Saturday's parade in Winnipeg.

The reindeer on Santa's float — the main attraction of the parade — were in bad need of repairs after some 40 years of entertaining children along the Portage Avenue route.

 Some reindeer had broken legs, while others had cracked and missing antlers. Many of the other items, like gifts and toys, were faded and some of the boards that framed the structure were broken.

The 12-metre-long sparkly float, capped off with Santa's sleigh atop a pair of igloos, has been undergoing extensive repairs at Winnipeg Technical College and is almost ready.

"Our students painstakingly hand painted all the little crystals and lights to make it come to life again," said Ray-Lynn Rempel, communications manager for Winnipeg Technical College.

Many of the toys on the float were donated by Eaton's back in the 1940s or '50s, she said.

This spruced up sleigh and reindeer will take to Portage Avenue on Saturday, starting at 5 p.m.

Parade route