Santa Claus is coming to town

While they won’t be able to get as close as usual, Capital City Fire/Rescue will still be helping Mr. and Mrs. Claus to visit the children of Juneau on Friday and Saturday.

CCFR, with help from the Alaska State Firefighters Association Juneau Chapter, Douglas Fire Association, and Juneau Career Firefighters Association Local 4303, will take part in Santa parades in the Mendenhall Valley, downtown, and in Douglas on Friday and Saturday, according to a City and Borough of Juneau social media post.

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However, with rising numbers of cases Alaska, CCFR and CBJ have some requests for holiday enthusiasts.

“We’ll be wearing our masks and gloves. We’re going to make sure we’re being safe for everybody,” said CCFR assistant chief Ed Quinto in a phone interview. “We’re going to minimize contact to less than 30 seconds per person. We’re going to have health checks for everybody.”

The community is asked to follow CDC guidelines during the event, which include wearing masks and maintaining 6 feet or more of distance from others not in their pod.

“We’re gonna recommend that people who gather do so with their same household,” Quinto said. “We also recommend that people who would like a candy cane wear a mask. There will be no physical contact.

Individually wrapped candy canes will be distributed by volunteers in PPE, but the community is asked to refrain from hugging the Clauses during the event.

The Clauses will visit the Mendenhall Valley at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, beginning at Glacier Valley Elementary School and ending at Glacier Valley Church of God.

The Clauses will have a busy day on Saturday, Dec. 19, beginning with a stop by Gruening Park at 4 p.m. From there, the Clauses will begin their downtown route at 6 p.m. at the Goldbelt Mount Roberts Tramway, making their way through downtown and across the channel, and ending at the Douglas Fire Station.

• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.