Riverside Fire Department and Santa team up to spread Christmas cheer
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The Riverside Fire Department is welcoming Santa onboard firetrucks for the 27th year.
It’s the department’s annual Santa Ride-Along, in which Santa Claus and fire crews stop in Riverside neighborhoods to hand out candy canes and pose for pictures with kids.
Parents and children greet Santa on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, at Sycamore Highlands Park during the Riverside Fire Department’s 27th Annual Santa’s Ride-Along. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Santa poses for pictures with children Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, during the Riverside Fire Department’s 27th Annual Santa’s Ride-Along in Riverside. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Nolan Keefe, 4, enjoys a candy cane Santa gave him Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, at Sycamore Highlands Park during the Riverside Fire Department’s 27th Annual Santa’s Ride-Along through the streets of Riverside. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Santa hands Jane Stell, 7, a candy cane as her mother Lisa looks on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, during the Riverside Fire Department’s 27th Annual Santa’s Ride-Along. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The Riverside Fire Department’s Vincent Gibby hands out candy canes to children during the Riverside Fire Department’s 27th Annual Santa’s Ride-Along on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Jane Stell, 7, waits with her mother Lisa on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, for Santa to arrive on their street during the Riverside Fire Department’s 27th Annual Santa’s Ride-Along. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Santa hands Victoria Garcia, 2, center, a candy cane as her twin brother Vicente, left, waits while their father Victor watches Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, at Sycamore Highlands Park. The Riverside Fire Department’s 27th Annual Santa’s Ride-Along ended at the park. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
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Parents and children greet Santa on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, at Sycamore Highlands Park during the Riverside Fire Department’s 27th Annual Santa’s Ride-Along. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The event on Tuesday, Dec. 10, was the second installment this year and saw firefighters from the city’s Station 13 travel to Sycamore Highlands Park, led by sirens and flashing firetruck lights.
Nearly 4,000 candy canes will be distributed across the city under the program, which is organized by the department and the Firefighters Association Local 1067, a news release states.
The events will run nightly from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. through Thursday, Dec. 12, this week before picking up again from Monday, Dec. 16, until Wednesday, Dec.18. Each night’s caravan will end at a different park, between 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Santa and firefighters will be available at the parks to meet children. The trucks are on duty so if Santa is not at a designated park by 7:30 p.m., it means the crew had to handle an emergency call, the release states.
The rest of the schedule is:
Wednesday, Dec. 11: Station 14, Andulka Park; Station 5, Nichols Park
Thursday, Dec. 12: Station 4, Patterson Park; Station 7, Bryant Park
Monday, Dec. 16: Station 6, Reid Park; Station 2, Hunt Park
Tuesday, Dec. 17: Station 9, Castleview Park; Station 8, La Sierra Park
Wednesday, Dec. 18: Station 1, Bonaminio Park; Station 10, Villegas Park
For information on Riverside Fire Department events, click here.
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