MENASHA, Wis. (NBC 26) -- For nearly 80 years straight, Northeast Wisconsinites gathered in Menasha on Memorial Day.
But in 2020, parade organizer David Mix says that streak was broken.
RELATED STORIES
- World War II veteran to celebrate Memorial Day following stroke recovery
- Military families call for reflection on Memorial Day
- Memorial Day weekend gas prices will be highest since 2014, AAA says
"The three of us [Fox Valley VFW posts and American Legions] got together and said 'wait a minute, guys... we're veterans,'" Mix said. "'We don't want our name to be the cause of somebody getting sick.'"
But Mix, the Commander of VFW Post 2126, expects this Memorial Day to look a lot different from last May. He says people around the Fox Valley will pack the streets to honor fallen veterans.
"Normally, there's always been a Memorial Day parade," Mix said. "And with not having one last year, the fans and the people out there are ready."
Mix and other his VFW post scheduled around 60 groups and three bands for a large parade and two ceremonies in Menasha and Neenah.
"We're expecting a lot of people on the route, because we're hearing from people," he said.
But in De Pere, Memorial Day parade chairman Terry Hasselbacher says there will be no marching on the roads.
"We were hoping we were gonna have the parade again this year, but obviously that didn't happen," Hasselbacher said.
But Hasselbacher and the De Pere Kiwanis Club have pulled together a Veterans Solute Ceremony in Voyageur Park instead on Monday.
"We did nothing last year," he said. "That was basically the reason why we wanted to do something this year."
Though events around Northeast Wisconsin won't look the same as they did pre-pandemic, Mix says hosting something is better than nothing.
"They [veterans] lost their lives and it's just something we can give back to them," he said.
Mix says the VFW worked closely with local health officials before deciding to hold an in-person event this year. Last May, he says local veterans made the personal choice not to hold a parade in 2020.
Festivities in the Fox Valley begin at 8 a.m. on the waterfront near Mill St. in Downtown Menasha. The parade starts at 9 a.m.
The Memorial Day ceremony in De Pere takes place at 1 p.m. in Voyageur Park. There will be marching bands and music played.
Both events are open to the public and recommend social distancing and masking, but it is not required.
