MILWAUKEE – The Wisconsin Veterans Day Parade steps off on Saturday, November 4, honoring those who have served in the armed forces with a downtown celebration of their service.
“The importance for the veterans is just so they can show their pride,” parade organizer Dan Richards told WTMJ.
The parade is happening on November 5 – a week before Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11. That decision by parade organizers illustrates the ethos of the parade: maximizing support for Wisconsin veterans.
“We chose the weekend before just so all the local posts, your VFW posts, American Legion posts can still do their Veterans Day events,” Richards said. “It’s a big day for fundraising for all veteran causes and we just didn’t want to interfere with that.”
Organizers are also holding an event at Brass Monkey Bar and Grill on November 12 celebrating the people who participated in the parade.
This is the third year of the revamped version of the parade, after several years without it. Richards said the decision to bring back the parade was made in November 2020.
“There was a group of veterans, we all got together at a local bar, and we decided we wanted to bring back the parade,” Richards said.
Richards credited the partnership with the city and their sponsors, including presenting sponsor Generac, for their support in making the new version of the parade successful.
The parade will start on Wisconsin Ave. at Vel Phillips Ave, before turning north on Water St. and heading up to Juneau Ave. to a viewing stand at the Marcus Performing Arts Center.
“This year we’re also going to have a bunch of invitees, Vietnam veterans from Wisconsin, that are going to be at the viewing stand, and they’re just going to enjoy the parade as it goes by,” he said.
While Veterans Day is the most prominent celebration of our nation’s veterans, Richards said that supporting veterans is a cause that you can be involved with year-round.
“Any time you see of a business or a foundation that’s doing an event – please just get out there and support them. They’re doing everything they can to make sure our veterans are taken care of going forward,” he said.
The parade steps off at 11 a.m.
