Annual Chamber of Commerce parade set for Dec. 7
By Anne Trautner
Assistant Editor
The 32nd annual Elkhorn Christmas Card Town Parade will be held in downtown Elkhorn on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 1:30 p.m.
“This year we have a lot of crowd pleasers,” said Chris Clapper, executive director of the Elkhorn Area Chamber of Commerce, which is sponsoring the parade.
One of next week’s entertainers will be the Wacky Wheel Walker, a daring acrobat who swings around his giant wheel as it rolls through the parade route.
Other height-defying performers will also be in the parade, walking on stilts high above the crowd. Gingerbread men, elves and snowmen will bring holiday cheer to parade onlookers as well.
And, of course, local school bands and community organizations will help make up the approximate 100 entrants.
Depending on weather, there may be some famous participants, such as Bernie, the Brewer mascot, and the racing Klements sausages.
“We may have some surprises for everyone,” Clapper said.
But the highlight for many will be witnessing children from Jackson Elementary School singing for Santa, Clapper said.
“At the end of the parade we have tons of little people who are going to sing for Santa,” Clapper said. “I think that’s a great thing to involve the schools and the community. The kids really look forward to it.”
Money matters
All of the special entertainment does come at a cost. So do the advertising, special costumes and awards for the winners.
While this year’s numbers have not yet been crunched, the parade usually costs $2,000 to $4,000, Clapper said.
“We do have some sponsors, and we are very grateful,” Clapper said. “Without them we could not do it.”
There are two platinum sponsors, Mercy Health System and TDS telephone company; one gold sponsor, Evergreen Golf Club; and one silver sponsor, Leece & Phillips Law Office, S.C.
Parade judges decide the winners of the “community” and “business” divisions. The chamber then provides “chamber bucks” to those winners to spend at local businesses.
Last year’s community winner was the Springfield 4-H and the business winner was Lyle’s TV and Appliance.
Christmas giving
Much of the money the parade raises goes to a good cause.
Rather than paying an entry fee, organizations are asked to donate either 10 canned goods or $10 to the Elkhorn Food Pantry in order to participate in the parade.
Last year 600 to 700 pounds of food was collected and there were some monetary donations, Clapper said.
Because the chamber is sensitive to money constraints of participants as well, for the second year in a row, the parade has a broad “Christmas Season” theme.
“With the economic times recently, people said it was too difficult to decorate differently every year,” Clapper said. “So they can come up with whatever they want within the holiday scope.”
This year, one float will feature the theme “Grandma got run over by a reindeer,” while many churches are planning a nativity theme.
Want to participate?
The Chamber of Commerce is still taking applications from any civic or community group which would like to participate in the parade.
To enter, organizations can fill out a form on the chamber’s website, www.elkhorn-wi.org or call the chamber at (262) 723-5788.
If you go…
What: Elkhorn’s annual Christmas Card Town Parade.
When: Saturday, Dec. 7 at 1:30 p.m.
Where to watch: The parade will leave the main gate of the fairgrounds, go down Court, Wisconsin, Geneva and Lincoln streets and wind back to the fairgrounds.
