Lorain's Santa Claus Parade - Nov. 18, 1949 – Part 1

While doing a little research in the photo files at the Lorain Historical Society on Wednesday afternoon, I found a few shots of Lorain's Santa Claus Parade, which took place on Friday, November 18, 1949. (Like I said a few days ago, the Christmas season has been muscling in on Thanksgiving for a long time!)

The photos are all from the Sam Brunotts collection. They were taken from the vantage point of looking south on Broadway at its juncture with Elyria Avenue.

I think these inflatable characters are quite charming. Here's one that looks like Felix the Cat (below). There's a photo of a similar Felix balloon on the Felix the Cat website link.

You can also see an old die-cut Ohio Route 57 sign behind him in front of the Shell station. 

Here's another float, which I'm guessing is a hippo – judging by his nostrils (below).

The shot also includes a nice view of Broadway along that stretch. You can see the unique silhouette of the building that currently houses Lorain Novelty Company; I'm not sure when the building immediately north of it was torn down. 

I'll have more about Lorain's 1949 Santa Claus Parade in my next post.