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Downtown Waukesha event brings community together after attack
A downtown Waukesha caroling and lantern walk event brought the community together to reclaim the streets after November's parade attack.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - The streets of Waukesha have come to be known for tragedy in recent weeks, but the community knows they're about so much more.
Friday night, Dec. 17, a downtown lantern and caroling event invited people to form happy memories.
Lanterns were available outside the restaurant People's Park. Business owners planned this to bring some joy and maybe some healing.
"How do you go about healing people?" Dan Taylor, the restaurant's co-owner, said.
After a tragedy that took so much – from human lives to a sense of safety – downtown Waukesha is reclaiming its streets.
"I was here for the mass incident, so it was very scary at the time," resident Luke Coutu said.
Waukesha caroling and lantern walk event brings community together
"After the parade some people have been afraid to come back down," Norman Bruce, co-owner of Martha Merrell's Books & Toys, said. "We’re taking back the downtown."
More than 200 people sheltered in place at Martha Merrell's Books & Toys during the attack, but Bruce knows it impacted many others.
"It’s not that the tragedy happened, but how do we handle the tragedy moving forward?" said Bruce.
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Healing is a process, one that moves faster together.
"We can’t live our lives in fear. We have to live our lives in hope," Bruce said. "There are people who are here tonight who have children who are still in the hospital."
While the heaviness can't be forgotten, light can be added to the darkness – a community singing after sorrow.
"It helps bring light to our town, and just show the bright side," said Coutu. "I don’t have a good singing voice. I’m just here to have a good time with everyone."
Waukesha caroling and lantern walk event brings community together
"Hopefully replace some of those negative feelings with some really positive ones," Taylor said.
The lantern stroll of light and hope brought just that – another step on the road to healing.
"It’s been amazing to see the whole community come together," resident Sheri Miller said.
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"It’s a beautiful thing, seeing everyone smiling and having a good time. I love it," said resident Lenny Miller.
"Waukesha is a great town, and it’s going to stay great," Coutu said.
The event ran from 6-8 p.m. Friday with people caroling through the streets. Money raised from the lanterns will go to the Waukesha support fund.
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