Waukesha opens new Christmas Parade memorial

In 2021, a vehicle barreled through Waukesha’s Christmas Parade, killing six people and injuring dozens more. 

Thursday is the third anniversary of the tragedy, and city residents are unveiling and dedicating a large memorial near downtown in Grede Park. 

Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that the city’s community is coming together to help one another continue moving forward. 

“I think three years out, grief comes to people in different ways,” he said. “But the community support for everyone is truly outstanding.”   

The memorial centers around a statue of six hearts intertwined. Mayor Reilly said the hearts symbolize the six lives lost in the attack: Leanna Owen, Virginia Sorenson and Tamara Durand — members of the Dancing Grannies — also Wilhelm Hospel, Jane Kulich and 8-year-old Jackson Sparks. 

Reilly said the hearts of the memorial also show that “pain and joy are something that people experience together.”

Listen here for the words engraved at the base of the memorial, read by Mayor Reilly.

Surrounding the statue is a wall of more than 1,200 tiles created by members of the Waukesha community. Waukesha-based carpenter, designer, welder and TV host Carmen De La Paz led the tile project. 

She told “Wisconsin Today” that she hand-rolled 1,400 pounds of clay and helped members of the community craft whatever they felt like adding to the 6×6-inch squares. Artwork on the tiles include images of flowers, animals and inscriptions, such as, “Hope.” She said one of the tiles even includes the pawprint of a city K-9 police dog. 

De La Paz worked on tiles with community members all over the city — in bars, bowling alleys, churches and on the sidewalk. 

“I didn’t know if people would be into the project or not,” she said. “I am honored. I am humbled by the fact that so many people in Waukesha embraced the project, were gleeful to be a part of it. I really do believe that it was a healing process for so many people.”  

Representatives from United Way’s Waukesha Resiliency Center planned to be at the memorial’s dedication ceremony Thursday. Mayor Reilly said the center has been providing help and care for people for two years. 

“If you are someone who was impacted by the parade and you wish to have any type of mental health counseling, or just want someone to talk to, the Resiliency Center will have people there,” Reilly said. “But they’re also there for you at any other time, too.”

Waukesha has held its Christmas Parade every year since the tragedy. This year marks the 61st annual parade and will be held on Dec. 8.