The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Ceremonial Band to perform
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band's Ceremonial Band
The 69th Annual West Bend Christmas Parade steps off at 5:00 pm Sunday November 28th, 2021 as planned
From West Bend Police Chief Ken Mueler
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and the entire Waukesha community from yesterday’s tragic event during their Christmas Parade.
In light of that event, organizers from the West Bend Christmas Parade and staff from the West Bend Police Department met November 22nd to review and discuss security and logistics for the West Bend Christmas Parade scheduled for Sunday, November 28, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. In order to ensure all participants and spectators are safe, we will be putting additional security measures in place for Sunday’s parade in West Bend.
Participants and spectators attending the parade may not be able to park in spots they did in the past as additional road closures will be in place. In addition, we remind citizens that each year during the Christmas Parade that Highway 33 at 7th Ave. is closed to through traffic during the parade. There are detour routes marked on Highway 33 eastbound at N. 18th Ave. and on Highway 33 westbound on Indiana Ave. Drivers not attending the parade should follow the detour signs as police will have the road closed at 7th Ave. until the end of the parade. Parade organizers and West Bend Police ask all to allow more time to get to the parade, and to be cooperative with police and volunteers that are staffing the intersections and parade route.
From West Bend Police Chief Ken Mueler
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and the entire Waukesha community from yesterday’s tragic event during their Christmas Parade.
In light of that event, organizers from the West Bend Christmas Parade and staff from the West Bend Police Department met November 22nd to review and discuss security and logistics for the West Bend Christmas Parade scheduled for Sunday, November 28, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. In order to ensure all participants and spectators are safe, we will be putting additional security measures in place for Sunday’s parade in West Bend.
Participants and spectators attending the parade may not be able to park in spots they did in the past as additional road closures will be in place. In addition, we remind citizens that each year during the Christmas Parade that Highway 33 at 7th Ave. is closed to through traffic during the parade. There are detour routes marked on Highway 33 eastbound at N. 18th Ave. and on Highway 33 westbound on Indiana Ave. Drivers not attending the parade should follow the detour signs as police will have the road closed at 7th Ave. until the end of the parade. Parade organizers and West Bend Police ask all to allow more time to get to the parade, and to be cooperative with police and volunteers that are staffing the intersections and parade route.
Thanks to everyone who supported and played in the
2021 Jingle Bell Open.
Check out the JBO pictures here!
Check out the SPONSORS of the Jingle Bell Open here!
We are looking forward to a great parade this November and another great Jingle Bell Open in 2021.
Register Now
The 2021 Jingle Bell Open will be
Monday, August 2, 2021
2021 Jingle Bell Open.
Check out the JBO pictures here!
Check out the SPONSORS of the Jingle Bell Open here!
We are looking forward to a great parade this November and another great Jingle Bell Open in 2021.
Register Now
The 2021 Jingle Bell Open will be
Monday, August 2, 2021
The theme for the 2021 Christmas Parade is:
"Magical, Musical Christmas"
"Magical, Musical Christmas"
Thanks for attending the 2020 West Bend Christmas Parade.
For those of you who attended the Christmas Parade, thank you so much for making it such a great success! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!
The pictures from the parade can be seen by clicking here.
The full video of the parade can be seen by clicking here.
The winners of the 2020 parade are:
YOUTH Category
1st - West Bend Dance & Color Guard
2nd - West Bend East Dance Team
3rd - West Bend West Dance Team
ADULT Category
1st - West Bend Kettle Trailblazers
2nd - Hartford Community Services
3rd - River City Christmas Brass
BUSINESS Category
1st - Auto Safety Center
2nd - A Simple Touch
3rd - Morries West Bend Honda
For those of you who attended the Christmas Parade, thank you so much for making it such a great success! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!
The pictures from the parade can be seen by clicking here.
The full video of the parade can be seen by clicking here.
The winners of the 2020 parade are:
YOUTH Category
1st - West Bend Dance & Color Guard
2nd - West Bend East Dance Team
3rd - West Bend West Dance Team
ADULT Category
1st - West Bend Kettle Trailblazers
2nd - Hartford Community Services
3rd - River City Christmas Brass
BUSINESS Category
1st - Auto Safety Center
2nd - A Simple Touch
3rd - Morries West Bend Honda
PLEASE NOTE: After an annual review, the Parade Guidelines and
Competition Guidelines have been updated and are effective 10/1/2017.
Please take time to read them prior to registering for the parade.
Competition Guidelines have been updated and are effective 10/1/2017.
Please take time to read them prior to registering for the parade.
2017 - 15 Year Anniversary
The following story is from the West Bend News:
LAST WEEK’S PHOTO
Last week’s photo was from May 2, 2002, and was named “Christmas Parade.” I expressed surprise that a photo taken in May had something to do with Christmas, but it turns out that it really does take that long to plan a Christmas parade.
We got our first clue when eagle-eyed Daily News ad sales maven Mary Jones pointed out that one of the heads in the back row of the photo appears to be Daily News publisher Heather Rogge — specifically, the head second from the right in the back row.
I asked Heather about this, and she confirmed that it was indeed her head, although she says she wasn’t the publisher then — Steve Ciccantelli was publisher. She said she thinks in May 2002, she was general manger of the Washington County Post (it was called the Sunday Post back then). Being in the photo, I figured she would be able to help us identify everyone in the photo — which she was, with a not-insignificant amount of help from Josephine Minskey Brzezinski, apparently. Get ready for a heaping helping of names: From left, front row, Robbie Robrahn (as Santa), Jeff Szukalski, Josephine Minskey Brzezinski, Cesar Suarez and Mike Husar; back row,
Julie Sears, Steve Ciccantelli, Mary Gamerdinger, Mary Husar Martin, Theresa Fuerbring, Heather Rogge and Carole Klotz.
So what are they doing here, posing for a Christmas event on what is probably a fairly warm day, one of them wearing a full Santa suit that is presumably dripping with more sweat than John Goodman’s bike shorts?
So here’s what happened: In February 2002, the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce announced it was looking for someone to take over the annual Christmas parade. The Chamber had run the parade for 13 years, and at present it has been a tradition for more than 80 (if my math is correct, and there’s a good chance it isn’t).
So a parade committee was formed to start running the event. It was made up of local business leaders, and was cochaired by Josephine Minskey of Lakeshore Newspapers (the company that includes the Daily News and Washington County Post) and Mary Gamerdinger of the Downtown West Bend Association.
They set up a fundraiser, the Jingle Bell Open golf event, which is still being run to this day
— this year’s event is Aug. 7 at West Bend Lakes Golf Course. This year’s parade is scheduled for Nov. 26.
So there you have it — and apparently, even though this photo depicts an uncommon circumstance, it is not strange for the planning of the parade to begin that early. Heck, it’s not even May yet and they already have information for the Jingle Bell Open and this year’s parade online. Don’t believe me? Go to www.westbendparade.org and get ready to eat crow, weirdly skeptical hypothetical reader.
— Chris Becker
LAST WEEK’S PHOTO
Last week’s photo was from May 2, 2002, and was named “Christmas Parade.” I expressed surprise that a photo taken in May had something to do with Christmas, but it turns out that it really does take that long to plan a Christmas parade.
We got our first clue when eagle-eyed Daily News ad sales maven Mary Jones pointed out that one of the heads in the back row of the photo appears to be Daily News publisher Heather Rogge — specifically, the head second from the right in the back row.
I asked Heather about this, and she confirmed that it was indeed her head, although she says she wasn’t the publisher then — Steve Ciccantelli was publisher. She said she thinks in May 2002, she was general manger of the Washington County Post (it was called the Sunday Post back then). Being in the photo, I figured she would be able to help us identify everyone in the photo — which she was, with a not-insignificant amount of help from Josephine Minskey Brzezinski, apparently. Get ready for a heaping helping of names: From left, front row, Robbie Robrahn (as Santa), Jeff Szukalski, Josephine Minskey Brzezinski, Cesar Suarez and Mike Husar; back row,
Julie Sears, Steve Ciccantelli, Mary Gamerdinger, Mary Husar Martin, Theresa Fuerbring, Heather Rogge and Carole Klotz.
So what are they doing here, posing for a Christmas event on what is probably a fairly warm day, one of them wearing a full Santa suit that is presumably dripping with more sweat than John Goodman’s bike shorts?
So here’s what happened: In February 2002, the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce announced it was looking for someone to take over the annual Christmas parade. The Chamber had run the parade for 13 years, and at present it has been a tradition for more than 80 (if my math is correct, and there’s a good chance it isn’t).
So a parade committee was formed to start running the event. It was made up of local business leaders, and was cochaired by Josephine Minskey of Lakeshore Newspapers (the company that includes the Daily News and Washington County Post) and Mary Gamerdinger of the Downtown West Bend Association.
They set up a fundraiser, the Jingle Bell Open golf event, which is still being run to this day
— this year’s event is Aug. 7 at West Bend Lakes Golf Course. This year’s parade is scheduled for Nov. 26.
So there you have it — and apparently, even though this photo depicts an uncommon circumstance, it is not strange for the planning of the parade to begin that early. Heck, it’s not even May yet and they already have information for the Jingle Bell Open and this year’s parade online. Don’t believe me? Go to www.westbendparade.org and get ready to eat crow, weirdly skeptical hypothetical reader.
— Chris Becker
Looking to Volunteer?
The West Bend Christmas Parade is always looking for a few good elves. Volunteers can get involved for only the day of the parade or be more involved throughout the year with the parade and the Jingle Bell Open. Click Here to send a message for more information.
The West Bend Christmas Parade is always looking for a few good elves. Volunteers can get involved for only the day of the parade or be more involved throughout the year with the parade and the Jingle Bell Open. Click Here to send a message for more information.