Second annual Janesville Christmas parade

Dozens of Janesville residents gathered to celebrate the town’s second Annual Holiday Parade at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. And just like last year, a family going through hard times saw the community come together for them.

The family of Aaron (Katie) Schlingmann were this year’s honorees for the parade. Schlingmann sadly passed away from a motorcycle accident a few months ago. “We wanted to honor them and help out any way we could,” said Holly Oliver, one of the event’s organizers.

The parade started last year as a way to honor five-year-old Janesville native Ethan Delaske, who at the time was battling stage four neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the brain. His family hoped the parade will be a new Christmas tradition for the City of Janesville for years to come. It seems like their wish is coming true.

“We would like to do this every year for a family,” Melissa Oachs explained. “It’s difficult going through the first Christmas after losing a family member to a tragedy. We want to be able to give them the community support to make their Christmas a little brighter.”

At 4 p.m., there was a photo opportunity with Santa Claus for the little children at the Purple Goose. Boxes for donations to the Schlingmann family and the Janesville Food Shelf were also made available.

Three Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton students and St. Ann Catholic Church members were also volunteers during the photo op: Brielle Bure, Ellah Oliver, and Aubrey Weedman. “They graciously volunteered time to help out with this event,” Holly Oliver said.

At 6 p.m., a line of vehicles gathered by the Main Street softball fields and made their way through downtown Janesville. “We had around 20 units for this year’s parade,” Oachs shared. “While it wasn’t as big of a parade as last year, we hope that we will continue to grow every year.”

Frigid temperatures didn’t stop families from seeing all the lights on display in the parade–the beautifully decorated units featured Bure Trucking, Autumn Acres, the Delaske Family, the Janesville Police and Fire Departments, and many others.

There are already plans to have a Christmas parade for 2023 and beyond. Both Oachs and Oliver are hopeful that the event will become bigger as time goes on.

“If anyone is interested in sponsoring, we would be more than happy to have them,” Oliver concluded. “We want to keep bringing Christmas cheer to Janesville and honoring families as long as we can.”