Santa enjoyed his second visit to Eastlink Park and gives two thumbs up to the new massive tube run

There was an extra friendly face hanging out at Eastlink Park last week. Santa Claus took a much-needed break from checking the naughty and nice lists to strap on his ski boots and feel the wind in his beard as he skied and tubed down the hill. This is the second year in a row that Santa has taken a quick break from the North Pole to check out Eastlink Park. “We are fortunate that he was able to make room in his busy schedule for us,” said Jessica Leis, Services Marketing Manager at Eastlink Park.

Staff at the park used the visit as an opportunity to help raise donations for the Whitecourt Food Bank by asking patrons to bring in donations and, in turn, received a discount on tubing. The tube run was a big draw for Santa this year as it is massive compared to last year. “At the end of last season, we were outside talking and came up with the idea that maybe we could put another bend in our tube run. Every year we try and expand it and make it better and more fun for the kids. Last year our tube run was extremely predictable, so we felt confident in putting a second bend in it,” she explained.

The second bend isn’t just a simple thing either. It has taken the tube run from being typical to being exceptional. No wonder Santa had to make another trip! “It is one of the longest in Canada and it has two 90 degree angles which is extremely rare to have in a tube run. It’s almost 1,300 feet long. We’re looking to get an official title of where we stand in Canada with the longest tube run and we are hoping its number one,” said Leis with a big smile.

“There’s a tube run in Ontario that’s 1,200 feet and some are still building theirs but typically a tube run is 400 to 600 feet, so we are more than double that!” As they wait for official word on whether they hold the title or not, Eastlink Park staff and patrons are enjoying the extra long run. For those who haven’t tried the tube run yet, Leis said there’s one thing you can look forward to when you do try it. “It’ll definitely not take just a few seconds to get down the hill, ha ha! It’ll be longer than that!”

Not only did Santa have a blast with the kids on the tube run but he also thoroughly enjoyed himself on the ski hill. It was quite the sight to see Santa Claus standing on the ski lift along with everyone else as he made his way back up to the top of the hill. Though Santa won’t be able to take part in the next event on the horizon for Eastlink Park, he did recommend that everyone take part. The annual New Year’s Eve fireworks will be taking place on December 31 at 6 p.m.

“People are more than welcome to come out for free hot chocolate and one dollar hot dogs. We usually have a couple of thousand people come out to watch the fireworks. It’s a great night. If you’ve been out for it before, you know it’s awesome, and if you haven’t then its something to experience.”