Waukesha decommissions temporary parade memorial
Items to be used for permanent remembrance to six people killed in Nov. 21 attack in which more than 60 were injured
Waukesha officials Wednesday morning took down the memorial for the Christmas parade victims that sprung up at Veterans Park following the tragedy on Nov. 21.
The temporary memorial arose after a driver plowed an SUV through the parade, killing six people and injuring more than 60 others. Among many items, the memorial included six crosses, bouquets of flowers, candles, teddy bears and even baseballs to honor the youngest victim, 8year-old Jackson Sparks, who was struck and killed as he marched with his youth baseball team.
Following the event, the memorial served as a refuge for those without answers to so many unanswerable questions. It was a place to gather and pray and console one another. And for many, a place to quietly lay mementos as a sign they cared.
“Many people stood silently before this memorial to contemplate and to grieve,” Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly said during a decommissioning ceremony Wednesday morning.
Reilly asked for continued support for the victims of the tragedy, as a brief moment of silence was held during the ceremony. “We decommissioned this memorial not to end our grieving, but to move to a new place, as a community, a place where we will better understand and acknowledge our pain, all while continuing to help those who are suffering,” Reilly said.
In the weeks that have passed since the tragedy, the memorial at the base of the Veterans Park sundial sculpture has grown to include thousands of items that stretch nearly 50 feet long, 6 feet wide and 3 feet deep with plenty more than thoughts and prayers.
Next, some of those items will be collected and used for a permanent memorial to remember the victims of the tragedy.
Bonnie Byrd, the executive director of the Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum, said the organization will slowly start to collect items from the memorial, to “preserve and conserve” them.
“It is with great humility and an incredible amount of honor that we are able to do this work,” Byrd said.
Reilly said a commission, that will include public and private officials, will be created soon to decide how to create the permanent memorial.
That commission will likely decide on a location for the memorial, as well as what items will be used for it.
Reilly did say he doesn’t want the process to be “rushed,” as the commission will likely gather public input after it’s created.
“This moment is important, because we, as a community, recognize that this place and these items are symbols of our sorrow and our grief,” he added.
The Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum has already drafted a Scope of Collections Statement.
That statement says that many of the “organic” materials left at the temporary memorial will likely not be used for the permanent memorial. That could include flowers or greenery.
“Rather the CPM (Christmas Parade Memorial) collection will be representative of the temporary memorial, with conservation interventions focused on those items that have clear connection to the parade, victims, organizations involved, and the City of Waukesha,” that statement said.
Father Patrick Heppe also spoke during the ceremony. He said he views the permanent memorial creation process as an opportunity for “hope and optimism and growth.”
“We are a group of people that come together, that bring out the best in each other, no matter what the tragedy, and bringing out the best in one another, we continue to grow and prosper,” Heppe said.