Yorkton This Week | www.YorktonThisWeek.com | Wednesday, December 26, 2018
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SENIORS Our Monthly Feature
…For Seniors and about Seniors
The hay rides, raising money for Ride for Sight, were the start of the Santa Claus Parade in Yorkton. Submitted Photo.
Angie Yaholnitsky and the riders on the hay rack, celebrating Christmas and encouraging people to honk. Submitted Photo.
Mrs. Claus returns to celebrate Christmas By Devin Wilger Staff Writer In 2017, Angie Yaholnitsky thought she was ready to retire. One of the founding members of the Yorkton Santa Claus Day Parade, she had become a fixture in the annual event by playing the role of Mrs. Claus. But, at 87, she decided that after a medical diagnosis of old age, it was time to retire.
So you may have been surprised to see her riding on the Pattison Ag. float in the 2018 parade. But you can’t keep Mrs. Claus away from the parade, and Yaholnitsky is proud of the parade she helped start. She admits that all it took was Cassidy Wagner from Pattison Ag., to ask if she wanted to do it, and she was back in the costume she made, performing as Mrs. Claus yet again.
For the Yaholnitskys, it all began with a hay ride, taken on Christmas when they had a house full of people. They got the family together and
got on the hay rack. Husband Frank was the instigator, because it was a beautiful day that year, and they wound up going to a neighbour’s farm and
singing Christmas carols. They decided to ride into town the next day to look at the lights in the city. “We borrowed a generator, we stripped the lights off the house. What are the police going to say? We phoned the police, and they said if you have enough lights, you can go. That was the beginning of what they called the ‘hot chocolate hayrides.’” The rides caught on quickly, with people
phoning to get their own ride on the wagon, with different organizations calling to get a ride of their own. They dressed up to make it more fun, and she said kids still talk to her about it. “You’ve got to make it exciting for the little guys.” She’s especially proud of the safety record - no injuries at all. They worked hard to maintain that record, instituting a Continued on Page B4
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Angie Yaholnitsky with her grandson, who played Santa Claus. Submitted Photo.
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Angie Yaholnitsky meets and greets while playing Mrs. Claus. She came out of retirement to take on the role again, after retiring last year. Submitted Photo.
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