Cindy MacDougall
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 19/99) - A child's excitement creeps into Mansel Beaumont's voice as he talks about the upcoming Santa Claus parade.

After all, he and a small group of city employees are putting the finishing touches on the Big Guy's float.

"We reserve the right to have Santa on our float," Beaumont, the City of Yellowknife's special events co-ordinator, says.

"Our float has a lot of poinsettias and Christmas trees," he said. "And decorations."

Beaumont says 35 different floats have been registered for the parade, which will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. He says the event will be extra-special this year because it's the last Christmas parade of the millennium.

"Our theme this year is Christmas Past," he says. "We'll be honouring past parades and past Christmases."

The city's float is coming along nicely, Beaumont says, although he couldn't draw on past parade experience for his decorating inspiration.

"I've lived here a while, but I've never seen the Santa parade," he says. "So I'll be right out there with the kids, not knowing what will happen. I'm pretty excited."

Down the road at the Yellowknife Women's Centre, Amanda Halldorsen and Gila Kravitz are trying to pull together the centre's float.

Problem is, they found out they were in charge of the project Tuesday afternoon, four days before the big event.

"We have a theme, but it's not really coming together," Kravitz says. "We're doing a pioneer theme."

"But it's a little too cold for skirts this time of year."

Halldorsen cheerfully shrugs it off. The centre's float will have all the essentials, she says: banners, children and candy.

"For us, the real theme is helping needy families at this time of year," says Kravitz. "We're having a turkey dinner on Dec. 23, and we're hoping people will donate grocery items and presents for needy families."

Across town, Tracy St. Denis is ready for her important parade role. As the president of Yellowknife's Chamber of Commerce, she will be judging the floats.

The winners in the non-profit and commercial categories will receive $100 and a ribbon.

St. Denis says she'll be looking for the Christmas spirit in each float.

"A good float has lots of spirit and a good strong festive theme," she says. "Colour's always good on a float."