Members of the Waukesha community are gathering together on Friday, November 21st to commemorate 4 years since the Christmas Parade attack. The 2021 tragedy killed six people and wounded more than 70 others.
Grede Park is slated to host thememorial service, which will begin at exactly 4:39 p.m., the moment when the attack began.
This year’s memorial will also mark the unveiling of a new commemorative sculpture titled “Holding Love”. Created by artist Carmen De La Paz, the piece features two hands cupped together as they hold a geometric purple heart.
Speakers at the event will include Carmen De La Paz, Mayor Shawn Reilly, and Liz Schmidt from the United for Waukesha Resiliency Center. This group was founded in the wake of the Christmas Parade attack as a resource for those affected. They offer healing creative connections, individual and family therapy, artistic support groups, restorative yoga, and aid in other mental health needs.
The City of Waukesha hopes that they “Will honor the lives we lost, support those who are still suffering, and come together as a community.”
In January 2022, just a few months after the attack, Mayor Reilly established a Parade Memorial Commission. The group was formed to help commemorate and honor the lives lost through planning, fundraising, and oversight.
In November of 2023, the Main Street Parade Memorial was dedicated on the east corner of the Five Points intersection, close to where the tragedy occurred. The statue bears the inscription:
“Like ribbon woven, we are stronger together. One ribbon representing the victims, one ribbon representing all who were affected. Looking through an open heart upon the City, a symbol of healing and strength. In tragedy, our community unites. Dedicated to those who lost their lives, were injured, and all who were touched by the tragedy at the Waukesha Christmas Parade. 11-21-2021”
In November 2024, a memorial was also installed in Grede Park. It features six ribbons woven together to form heart, with each ribbon representing one of the lives tragically lost. Every night at 4:39 p.m., the memorial is lit in a blue light for six minutes, one minute for each life lost.
