WAUKESHA, Wis. — A year of healing has led to one final night of anticipation for Waukesha residents.
“I have a lot of mixed emotions,” said Tami Evanoff of Waukesha. “I’m looking forward to it, excited, but on the other hand a little nervous, a little apprehensive.”
Waukesha’s Christmas parade will be returning to Main Street on Sunday with a new route filled with added security measures, but store owners along the route, like Evanoff, say they aren’t worried about danger affecting the festivities this year.
“It’s the emotions and it’s going to be up and down," she said. "It’s going to be joy, it’s going to be sadness, it’s going to be grief, it’s going to be all of it.”
Dan Schneiderman owns Vinyl Vault Records along the main route. He says he’s seen a lot of excitement from customers planning to go to the parade this year.
“It gives them a chance to just kind of come down and see the parade as it was supposed to be,” Schneiderman said. “A happy event, kids playing and having fun, and to celebrate the holidays.”
Schneiderman’s store was one of many that became a refuge for people a year ago. He keeps a bag of candy from last year’s parade hanging on the back wall of his store.
Like so many others, it’s been a tough year of moving on for him but he’s looking forward to supporting his community on Sunday.
“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” he told TMJ4.
The entire parade will broadcast live online and on-air with TMJ4 for anyone not comfortable attending the event this year.