By Nikki Ackerman
Staff Writer

As preparation gets underway for this year’s parades, the Menomonee Falls Parade Steering Committee is seeking community contributions for the Memorial Day, Independence Day and Christmas events.
Robyn Turtenwald, a member of the committee, said this is a case in which a little goes a long way.
“If every family contributed just $5, we could cover the cost (of the three parades),” she said. “We have to raise money for the parades every year.”
While the village provides $6,000 for the events–$2,000 per parade–the total bill is $24,000, which means the remaining $18,000 must come from other sources.
The Parade Steering Committee was formed 13 years ago when the Knights of Columbus ended its sponsorship of the Memorial Day parade due to financial constraints and the downtown Village Centre–of which Turtenwald was a part–began brainstorming other options.
“The problem was the fund-raising aspect,” Turtenwald explained. “The Knights of Columbus didn’t really want to be involved in the business of fund-raising, so we looked for a way to take the pressure off.”
Thus, the eight-member committee was born.
“We went to the village to see if they could help and they have been wonderful,” Turtenwald said. Along with the $6,000, the village “provides policing for the events and handles the road closings.”
The Menomonee Falls Optimist Club foots the lion’s share of the bill for the Independence Day Parade, and the parade committee runs the Christmas Parade.
Turtenwald said more involvement from community members would be very welcome.
“These parades are quality-of-life improvements for every resident,” she said, “yet all our money comes from corporations, not residents.”
Planning and fund-raising for the events–which draw an estimated total of 30,000 people (20,000 for the Independence Day Parade and 5,000 each for the other two)–is no small feat, Turtenwald noted, and many helping hands are needed.
She specifically named volunteer Tom Ullrich who “stuffs, stamps and mails” around 800 letters to past and potential contributors and participants each year.
“He has been doing this every January/February for the past five years and the Parade Committee gratefully appreciates his time and efforts,” she said.
This year’s Memorial Day Parade–which will honor soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq–will begin at 10 a.m. May 28 on Main Street, one block west of Pilgrim Road; the Independence Day Parade will be held at 7 p.m. July 3 (starting on Appleton Avenue at the M&I Bank corner and heading south to the high school); and the Christmas Parade–with a theme of “The Stars Were Brightly Shining”–is set for Nov. 25 at 4:30 p.m. (with the same route as the Memorial Day Parade).
Non-profit organizations may participate in the parade free of charge while businesses must pay $75.
Those interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to the parade fund may send a check to: Menomonee Falls Parade Committee, N80 W13566 River Park Drive, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051. For more information, one can call Turtenwald at (262) 255-5125.