Waukesha Christmas Parade Highlights Strength of the Community

Tuesday, December 6th, 2022 -- 4:00 PM

(By Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) While familiar scenes of dancing grannies and marching bands returned Sunday to downtown Waukesha, they were accompanied by a phrase that has come to define the community over the last year: "Waukesha Strong."

According to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, in a show of resilience, Waukesha residents gathered for the community's annual Christmas Parade, just over one year after a driver intentionally drove through the parade in an SUV, killing six and injuring many more.

Hundreds of community members lined the streets of downtown Waukesha, standing shoulder to shoulder in freezing temperatures, for the return of the longstanding holiday tradition.

Waukesha resident Susan LeCourt saw last year's tragedy first-hand, but that didn’t stop her from attending this year’s parade to stand in solidarity with those affected."I was here last year and I saw what happened last year," she said. "And I just wanted to support all of the people who got injured."

Similarly, for the last 22 years, Waukesha resident Betty Koenig and her husband have attended each year's Christmas Parade, every year except last year. Despite being "devastated" by last year's tragedy, Koenig marked her calendar when the date was announced for this year's event "as a show of solidarity." She believes attendance at the parade illustrates the strength of the Waukesha community.

"We want to continue our traditions," Koenig said. "We're not going to let what happened last year scare us away, cause us to be fearful and not want to continue a tradition that we've had for so many years. It's just strengthened our sense of community."

This year, the city used vehicle barriers to block off roads along the parade route and closed streets surrounding the parade route ahead of the event, and officials took extra precautions to ensure the safety of attendees.

Additionally, grief counseling resources were also made available to community members during the parade. In October, the driver of the SUV, Darrell Brooks, was found guilty of six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 70 other criminal charges related to last year’s tragedy.

Brooks was sentenced last month to six consecutive lifetimes in prison.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.