This is the first time Kingston has had its Santa Claus parade after dark. And Blackstar had front row seats.

It was cold, and the line up at Tim Horton's extended out the door and down the street.

Next year maybe we should sell coffee and hot chocolate.

Once the parade started, the kids forgot how cold they were, and we had two hours of lights and pageantry, from full-sized floats to small vehicles inspired by Men In Black. Kudos to the organizers. The parade was much more effective after dark .