In 1962, Garrick Mallery played Santa in the very first Noblesville Christmas Parade. This year, the 50th anniversary of the parade, Mallery will reprise his role as Kris Kringle.
“It’s going to be fun,” he said. “I hope the weather’s fit.”
Mallery, who turns 85 on Dec. 21, will don the same red suit he wore all those years ago.
“I wore it last year to get a photo taken with my great grandson,” he said. “I don’t loan it out because it’s a good one.”
After graduating from Purdue in 1951, Mallery returned to Noblesville and started his career in real estate. He was director of the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce when the inaugural parade was planned.
“When they put it together, I guess they thought I was bigger than anybody else,” he jokingly said. “I was glad to play Santa because I had been him before for a few stores.”
After the first year, Mallery continued portraying Santa in the parade for the next seven or eight years.
“It’ll be my first time back (in the parade since then),” he said. “I’ve attended the parade with my kids and grandkids.”
Mallery fondly remembers the experience of that first year. He was joined by his helpers, Pam Swhier and Carol Jo Kenley, and rode atop a Noblesville fire truck.
“There was a swarm of people. I’ve never seen so many people,” said Mallory. “The paper said 8,000 people attended but Noblesville only had a population of 5,000 at that time so people came to Noblesville for the parade.”
One of the highlights from the inaugural parade was the unexpected reaction he heard about from just greeting a child. As the parade turned a corner, Mallery’s secretary was standing there with her son, who Mallery yelled hello to by name.
“He looked up at her and said, ‘Santa knows my name?’ She told him, ‘He knows where you live so you better be a good boy,’” Mallery said with a chuckle.
The Christmas parade will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday. This year’s theme will be “The Magic of Santa.”
