Photo Provided Santa Claus on the back of a fire truck at a past St. Clairsville Christmas Parade.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — It’s time for Santa Claus to ride his sleigh through St. Clairsville for its annual Christmas Parade.

The parade is slated for Sunday with a 2:30 p.m. start. That’s a change from the original 3 p.m. start.

St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce Director Wendy Anderson said the time change is due to the abundance of participants involved in this year’s parade. She said the parade has 92 participants, and she is still receiving calls from Ohio Valley businesses and organizations wanting to be in it.

“This is a large parade this year and I think it’s coming off the coattails of our Halloween Bash and our Light Up Night that a lot of people just loved it,” Anderson said. “They couldn’t believe that we had so many people here in St. Clairsville.”

This year’s title sponsor is WVU Medicine, with Gold Khourey & Turak, Bethany College, St. Clair Building, Giacinta’s Gelato & Caffe, Belmont College, and more also serving as sponsors.

“I know people say this, but it’s the truth. If we didn’t have these sponsors, regardless of how little or how much they pay, we couldn’t be able to do this stuff,” Anderson said. “This would be tough to do it on your own, especially in this day and time because people are struggling financially.”

In addition to WVU Medicine being the title sponsor, it will also be handing out more than 100 tote bags to children at Sunday’s parade. Anderson said that the tote are for the children to have a place to put the candy that will be thrown by the various floats.

“WVU is providing bags for the treats because, at our parade, they are allowed to gently toss candy,” she said. “I know that at other parades they aren’t allowed to throw candy, but at our parade they are.”

Anderson said that the Chamber began planning for the parade in July and started reaching out to potential sponsors and participants in September.

“We’ve been having weekly meetings,” Anderson said. “It’s really nice to have partners who listen to you and want to do what you want.”

In addition to the several floats, Belmont Savings Bank will have a familiar face. Ohio Valley country music artist Matt VanFossen will perform as the float travels through the streets of St. Clairsville.

In addition to music by VanFossen, the St. Clairsville High School marching band will also be performing in the parade. Anderson said she was surprised that St. Clairsville is the only Ohio Valley school’s marching band that will be participating in the parade.

“We reached out to every school in the Valley and only St. Clairsville’s the only one doing it,” She said. “To me as a kid, the band was what got you in your soul because you could feel it. So I’m a little disappointed but it is what it is, we’ll be fine.”

She added that the parade will be the final major event of the calendar year for the Chamber, joking that after the parade she’ll hang up her hat and take a nice long winter’s nap.