The 80 entries in Saturday’s 26th annual Island Equipment Owners Association Truck Parade and Food Drive — including fire trucks, dump trucks, buses and military vehicles — will follow a bit of a different route this year.
The procession of decorated and illuminated vehicles will travel through several municipalities, covering 35 kilometres from Ogden Point to the Royal Bay Commons in Colwood, heading along a few different streets in Langford than last year.
The City of Victoria warned that there will be temporary intersection closures as the parade progresses.
Parade organizer and IEOA manager Wendy Watt says the list of entries is at the maximum of 80. “We’re definitely full, with a wait list.”
Watt said many of the trucks in the lineup will be doing their regular jobs through Friday, then get a good wash before the decorations go on Friday night and Saturday.
This year’s parade coincides with a milestone for the IEOA, which is marking its 60th anniversary.
Helping the community is the purpose behind the parade, Watt said. “The whole event is based around awareness of food donations.”
She said there is list of drop-off locations for food items Friday and Saturday on the IEOA website at , and donations of food and cash for local food banks will be collected during the parade.
“People from the Mustard Seed will be out at Dallas Road, Oak Bay will collect for the Rainbow Kitchen and Langford will support the Goldstream Food Bank.”
The parade starts at 5 p.m. and is scheduled to reach Oak Bay Village at 6 p.m, where Daniel Lapp and the Joy of Life Choir will perform.
Volunteers from Canvas Community Church will gather donations from the Oak Bay parade-watchers.
Trucks will reach Langford about 7:15 p.m. during the Langford Light Up, which is happening at Langford Station from 3 to 7 p.m. and Veterans Memorial Park from 5 to 8 p.m., before finishing about 8 p.m.
Both sites will have entertainment and other activities, with Santa due to arrive at Veterans Memorial Park on a Langford Fire Rescue truck at 5:15 p.m.
Watt said that the parade requires a lot of planning, and she and others work on it for much of the year.
“It’s definitely a team effort all around,” she said.
The various police departments along the route are a big help, Watt said. “The work they do to get us safely around the streets is quite the task.”
Watt said the drivers taking part are grateful for the crowds that line up to watch the parade.
“It’s not just in one area or another, it’s all along the full route,” she said.
With a chance of rain this year, Watt said people might consider watching from inside a car or seeking out a sheltered spot.
“There’s lots of places you can stay dry and still watch.”
She said GPS tracking of the parade is available again this year at .
