Albion’s Christmas parade honors Charles Howard with name, ambitious float

‘It won’t be perfect this year, but it’s going to be pretty cool’

Photos by Tom Rivers: Michael Bonafede, right, and a team of volunteers work on a float last week at Bonafede’s property. Mick Tower, in back, worked for the late Charles Howard with many of the floats and attractions he had at Christmas Park in Albion and also at the State Fair. Howard was founder and director of a Santa School in Albion from 1937 to 1966. The committee organizing the lighted Christmas parade on Dec. 14 has named the parade in his honor. It is now the Charles W. Howard Hometown Parade.

ALBION – A committee working on Albion’s Christmas parade on Dec. 14 has changed the name from Santa’s Hometown Parade to the Charles W. Howard Hometown Parade.

The committee wants to pay tribute to Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 to 1966. He also operated Christmas Park beginning in the mid-1950s. That site attracted about 80,000 people a year.

Howard turned part of his farm on Phipps Road into Christmas Park with amusement park rides, a petting zoo and other attractions.

The parade on Dec. 14 already has 20 floats committed as well as bands. It will honor Howard with more than the parade name.

A group of volunteers is building a float in Howard’s style. They are putting Santa in an older sleigh, and it will appear to be ready to take flight with a group of reindeer.

“New generations of people don’t know Charles Howard,” said Michael Bonafede, one of the volunteers building the float. “He is an excellent role and a unique asset for this area. His character and integrity were the keys to his success.”

The float design team includes, in front from left: Ron, Mick and Mike Tower. In back, Michael Bonafede, Frank Jenks and David Valente.

The volunteers last week made a 20-by-10 foot deck for the float. It has room for an 8-piece band on the back of the float with the sleigh in the middle and the reindeer up front.

Michael Bonafede said the sleigh was acquired in Connecticut and the sleigh will usher in Santa for the parade. The sleigh has a classic look. Its curved in the front which matches some of the photos from when Charles Howard portrayed Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parades in the 1950s and early 1960s.

The group wants to build an iconic float to cap the parade. Howard was known for his creative mind in building floats. The Albion group building the new float will create a display where it will look like nine reindeer are taking off.

Bonafede found two long pieces of metal that used to be part of a soccer goal on his property. For many years, Bonafede hosted the youth soccer program in Albion.

Frank Jenks and Ron Tower brainstorm how to best position the sleigh on steel railings that used to be the top of a soccer goal. Mick Tower, in back, offers some insights. He urged the group to not “bite off more than they can chew” with the first float.

Howard, too, would repurpose pieces of wood and other materials to make his displays. One of his employees, Mick Tower, is helping with the new float. Tower, 89, was tasked by Howard to turn his visions into reality. (Tower will serve as grand marshal of the upcoming parade.)

Tower was part of a team that built the track for a train at Christmas Park, a tunnel, wooden snowflakes, wooden icicles hanging down from the roof, the fire place, and many other projects. There was never a slow moment. Howard had short- and long-term projects. Tower recalled the effort in turning a pond on the property into Snowflake Lake.

Bonafede said the volunteers eventually would like to have the reindeer in motion and some other special effects. For this year, the reindeer may just be lawn ornaments.

“It won’t be perfect this year, but it’s going to be pretty cool,” Bonafede said.

Tower’s son, Ron and Mike, also are part of the team building the new float. Like their father they work in construction.

Frank Jenks also is part of the team, and so is David Valente who has put in a steel railing on the float and is working on other touches to give it strength and some seasonal flare.

David Valente of Hamlin has repurposed steel for railings on the float. Bonafede secured the steel and Valente said he is pleased to lend his talents to the project.

The group is seeking donated artificial Christmas trees to fill out the float this year. Anyone willing to donate can contact the parade chairwoman, Susan Oschmann, at (585) 202-0594 or susanoschmann@gmail.com.

She welcomes more entries for the fourth annual parade. Participants can sign up by Dec. 13. Click here for more information about registering to be in the parade.

Oschmann said several sponsors are backing the parade, which is allowing the committee to double the prize money. First place gets $600, with $400 for second and $200 for third.

The group working on the Santa float also said they would welcome a spot to store it in the offseason if someone has space in a barn, Quonset hut or garage. For more information, contact Bonafede at (585) 749-1413.