By Kyra Price
The Downtown Menomonie Winter Daze event was held Thursday, Dec. 9 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Locals got to meet Mr. and Ms. Santa, drink free hot chocolate, and watch a parade and fireworks. The Winter Daze is the biggest communal event in Menomonie.
Executive Director of Downtown Menomonie Inc., Dustyn Dubuque said, “This event means our downtown is alive. The town is alive.”
Interim Associate Provost for Partner and Student Engagement and member of Downtown Menomonie Board, David Beck said, “Before moving to Menomonie, I only thought of parades as being a summertime experience.”
Beck said, “There is truly something magical to transport all of those activities to the middle of December… To watch a parade that has floats bedazzled with holiday lights is something special, and the fireworks display over the lake afterwards is definitely worth standing out in the cold for!”
Bedazzled float: The theme was 'what a super hero means to us,' Dustyn Dubuque
Dubuque said, “Before I became the Executive Director of Downtown Menomonie, the Winter Daze Parade was a must attend event for my wife and I. No matter how cold it was, we always attended.”
The Winter Daze event is an annual tradition. “This will be the 17th year of the event,” said Dubuque.
“This event embodies small-town America, allowing communities to come together for one night to embrace the weather and traditions of the region,” said Beck.
Local volunteers helped organize the event.
Dubuque said, “It is Wisconsin, we all understand what it is like to live here in the winter, why not embrace it and enjoy a hot chocolate and watch a parade?”
“I hope that as this town continues to grow and evolve, that we’ll see new traditions and experiences inserted into events like the Winter Daze Parade!” said Beck.
Santa: Locals got to meet Mr. and Mrs. Santa, Dustyn Dubuque