The Christmas City of the North Parade marched along Superior Street through Downtown Duluth on November 22nd.

Folks lined both sides of the street in hopes of snagging a good spot to see the festive floats and an appearance from Santa.

The parade has been a Northland tradition for decades. We caught up with proud dad Joel Heoler, who was there to see his son in the parade.

“My son is a senior at Duluth Marshall, and he plays the Elto Saxon. Sadly, this is his last parade,” said Heoler, “It’s just a wonderful thing for the kids. I’m probably I’m going to embarrass him. But that’s in the job description for a dad.”

Heoler told us that the parade has been a family tradition for generations.

“Christmas City of the North Parade has a soft spot for our family,” Heoler told us. “It was 51 years ago tonight. My mom and dad had their first date down here. And then 51 years later, they’re still doing fine. But this year they’re going to have to watch the parade on a computer down in Arizona.”