Rushed parking job turns into annual Christmas tradition in Saint John, N.B.
For many Saint John, N.B. residents, the sight of a Volkswagen Beetle in front of an old-school barbershop on the city’s west side has become a sure sign that the holidays have arrived.
It started 10 years ago, when Bob Keays parked his 1970s era classic car at the Lancaster Barbershop on Main Street West as he went to go and referee a hockey game.
“We had a game going on, and one of the referees cancelled out,” says Keays. “So, I was supposed to be in the west side Christmas parade and I said to Blaine, ‘Blaine, I’m so sorry but let me tell you what, I’d love to park my car outside your shop.’”
Little did he know that decision was the beginning of what would become a time-honoured holiday tradition in Saint John.
“It’s not until I came back from the Santa Claus parade that I saw people sitting on the bumper... and taking pictures from across the street,” says Blaine Harris, owner of the Lancaster Barbershop.
Ever since, the picturesque scene of a Christmas tree tied to the top of the Beetle and the old-school barbershop in the background, has become a beloved and iconic sign of the holiday season.
“It’s almost like when we park the Beetle here, it’s the start of Christmas in Saint John,” says Keays.
The scene has inspired not only photographers but also painters from the region, and for many, stirs up a sense of nostalgia.
“It’s reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell picture,” says Harris. “And that’s sort of what draws people to it. It’s the look of both the properties as well as the car and they’re both from that era.”
The car itself, which is named Jude after the famous Beatles’ song, has also become something of a celebrity in Saint John – making appearances at many different events over the years.
“When I’m driving you have people that are beeping their horns and it makes them feel really good,” says Keays.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.