Every night these days in Olds, if you listen close enough you can hear the sounds of Christmas carols coming from a loudspeaker.
Walter Moebis and Clint Jackson are just trying to bring a little more holiday cheer to the community – so they started the Caroling Christmas Truck on a whim and it has become a must-see attraction since they got going in late November.
“Our arms are getting played out from waving,” Moebis said with a chuckle.
“Everybody is just smiling and waving. The response we are getting from the community is phenomenal. Everybody is saying it’s great, we’re uplifting everybody.”
The two long-time friends came up with the idea after driving in the Santa Claus Parade this year and thought it would be easy enough to recreate that experience on a day-to-day basis.
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So they retrofitted a truck with lights, some Christmas accessories and of course, a giant Bluetooth speaker playing Christmas classics like Little Drummer Boy or Here Comes Santa Claus.
The pair have mostly stuck to Olds, driving around for a few hours each night. They said there are anywhere from 300-400 people each night outside waiting to greet them.
“What we’re giving the community, we’re getting back ten-fold,” Moebis said.
“Our hearts are just swelling when we get home.”
They’ve also recently been making stops at schools around lunchtime and visited several senior lodges across the area.
Moebis said the duo has also been to Bowden and Didsbury and have had requests to travel as far as Sylvan Lake, Chestermere, Elnora and Okotoks.
The pair added that they will continue with the truck after Christmas up until the New Year, which he views as important, especially given the difficult year it’s been.
“Between Christmas and New Years can be a rough time for a lot of people in a good year, and so we’re going to keep going right through until New Years Day,” Moebis said.
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