WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Waukesha Christmas parade is this Sunday. It comes with a wide range of emotions.
Students in the Waukesha South High School band, and many of their parents, have been working around the clock to make sure their float is perfect.
The group will have more than 100 people walking or riding in the parade, including many past band members. Dozens of alumni are walking with current band members as a show of support. A dozen members of the band were injured in the parade attack last year, some critically.
“This float is for everyone, and it’s for tradition,” said current band member, Eleanor Anders. “We’ve always loved doing it. It represents so much more for us.”
The band’s float is filled with community messages written on hearts. Many of the hearts have “Waukesha Strong” written on them. At the top of the float are six butterflies, representing the six people killed in the parade last year. They may be gone, but they are never forgotten. The heartache still exists, but there is also hope.
“I look at those butterflies and I think of the people that still deserve to be here,” said Anders. “We might never be fully healed, but we can all keep working on it together. I feel like this is an important step.”
“I know this previous week I felt a lot of survivor’s guilt because I’m here still living my life, and those people aren’t,” said band member Phillip Davis. “There are a lot of people still dealing with injuries and pain. Being able to walk in this parade means a lot to me. I don’t take it for granted.”
“A lot of these kids don’t like to be seen as victims,” said Mindy Pittman, who’s a mom and president of the Waukesha South High School Band Boosters. “They want to have a different story, so they’re trying to build this float and make it positive. This past year has been about building each other up. Coming back together. Supporting each other. Supporting growth and hard conversations which a lot of these kids have had to have.”
Along Main Street in downtown Waukesha, businesses that people ran to and sought shelter in during the parade attack last year are once again making sure they are safe havens and beacons of light this year.
“We’re going to be open,” said Tamara Czech-Evanoff, the owner of Burlap & Lace Marketplace. “I am going to create a quiet space in the back of the store for people that may feel overwhelmed or need a break. There will be hot cocoa and cookies. I think it's important that everybody knows they have a safe place here.”
Czech-Evanoff says so many people have been coming into her store to buy “Waukesha Strong” gear, all of which supports the Waukesha County Community Fund.
“I wanted to buy some because I plan to be at the parade and I will wear it proudly,” said Deb DuBois of Waukesha. “It’s so important to show the people that were injured, their families, and the people who lost loved ones, that we are here for them always.”
The two words “Waukesha Strong” is a phrase that has come to mean so much to so many here.
“Waukesha Strong is the people,” said Dubois. “People in Wisconsin are the most generous, wonderful people and Waukesha is a small town that has really grown, and it’s just so wonderful here.”
“We are all one,” said Czech-Evanoff. “We are a team. We are all there for each other through the good and the bad. Waukesha Strong means family.”
“It means that we, as a community, have each other’s backs no matter what happens,” said Davis.