Santa sits on new throne at Devonshire Mall

When heavy snow grounded Santa’s helicopter this year, Windsor Firefighters ferried him to Devonshire Mall in a bright, red fire truck instead.

“This is the first time Santa has arrived in the fire truck, and that’s always a Plan B. So we are happy to help him,” said firefighter Sean Costello, the coordinator of Sparky’s Toy Drive.

About 300 people gathered in the mall’s parking and listened to the Windsor Optimist Youth Band while waiting for Santa to arrive. Children waited patiently but erupted with joy and screamed “Santa! Santa!” when he climbed down from the fire truck.

The band marched Santa into the mall where he sat on a new throne, constructed by contractors out of Montreal as part of a multi-million-dollar renovation project at the mall.

Devonshire Mall Marketing Director Karen Niforos thinks this will be a busy season for the shopping centre.

“We have seen an increase in traffic. The stores have noticed it, since the opening of the new food court. It has just been fantastic so far,” said Niforos. “It’s been busy, the new retailers have been busy, and of course our existing retailers have been busy.”

Niforos hopes the crowds who come to see Santa spend some time exploring the mall to see what is new this year.