Santa's Drill Team brings North Pole spirit to Safety Harbor for July Fourth
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Santa's Drill Team members at an Honor Flight event. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Elkin
Despite being born in Turkey and living in the North Pole, Saint Nick is super patriotic about July Fourth.
Why it matters: To help honor veterans and first responders, he calls on Santa's Drill Team and Palm Tree Santas.
- Santa and his helpers — also dressed in red and white — will be out in Safety Harbor on Thursday during the town's Independence Day festivities.
What they're saying: "Santa is the star and he cannot go without being mobbed, so helpers and stunt doubles deflect some of the people away from him so he can enjoy his day," Santa Jim Beam, AKA Plant City Santa, told Axios.
Zoom in: Santa's Drill Team is a group of "grizzled old veterans" and supporters throughout the region who honor fellow vets, first responders and teachers in their months off from the red suit.
- After the Safety Harbor Main Street Parade, they'll be handing out free snacks and snowcones alongside Palm Tree Santas.
- They are led by 83-year-old Santa Bob Elkin in Tampa, who started both groups to keep Santa's giving spirit year-round.
Point of intrigue: They keep the look year-round, too, maintaining white hair and matching bushy beards. Santa has no days off.
- "A lot of times I'll have to go get cleaned up before I run to town to go to Lowes or somewhere," Beam said. "I may run into that child and you don't want them to see a dirty-looking Santa. As soon as a child sees me I can be in character, no problem."
- When kids get curious, he whips out a wallet complete with Santa's driver's license, credit card and birth certificate (including a photo of a baby with a hat and tiny beard.)
- Then, he hops into his "naughty and nice patrol car," an old Santa-fied police vehicle.
If you go: The Safety Harbor parade starts at 10am, followed by the hour-long Santa's Drill Team veteran's celebration at the gazebo. Both are free to attend.
What's ahead: Even more Santas and Mrs. Clauses are headed to Tampa Bay next month to hone their craft at Santa's Workshop in Tarpon Springs.