Germantown Kiwanis just announced that the 4th of July Parade will have a new route this year, bringing the parade right to your front yard. The new route for the parade will pass by many of the homes in the village. The much longer parade route is being called the Reverse Parade route (see map below.)
In cooperation with the Village of Germantown Police & Fire Departments, Kiwanis of Germantown came up with the idea of having a “reverse parade route” with the parade passing in front of many homes of Germantown residents. The parade will start and end at Germantown Fire Station #2 on Edison Drive. It will proceed north on to Friestadt Road going west to Goldendale Road, then head down Goldendale to Mequon Road where it will go east into downtown Germantown. It will head north on Division Road to Main Street to Squire Drive and then south down Squire to wind its way through the heart of Germantown’s residential areas south of Mequon Road. Ultimately it will head back up Pilgrim Road to Friestadt.
“We encourage people to dress up in their finest patriotic attire and decorate their yard!” Kiwanis told Germantown residents on their Facebook page. “We can’t wait to drive by and see you. Please practice social distancing and have fun.” They said they are not accepting entries in the parade as it will be compact and moving a little faster than a parade pace to be able to visit as many neighborhoods as possible.
Plans for the Reverse Parade route are moving fast so you will want to find out more by watching the Kiwanis Facebook page for more updates.
Germantown Youth Futures will be holding their food drive in conjunction with the parade. Food and monetary donations are accepted 24/7 at the Germantown Police Department. Bank Five Nine will collect food July 1-17 in their lobby during normal business hours (also closed on July 4). Area families, businesses and organizaitons will collect July 4 during the reverse parade from 10AM – 1PM in the Woodlands Subdivision (Jex Family), Tree Tops Subdivision (Pat Tasker – Shorewest Realtors), Windsong Subdivision (Germantown Youth Futures) and on Freistadt Road across from Fireman’s Park (Freistadt 4-H Friends). Items of greatest need include: canned chicken, tuna, pasta sauce, beans and cereal (regular size versus family size). All non-expired, non-perishables accepted. Thank you in advance for your support of families in need!
It was with deep regret that the Germantown Kiwanis Club announced they would have to cancel the Germantown 4th of July Celebration for 2020. The announcement came in May when it became apparent that the Village’s COVID-19 policy would not allow for the celebration in 2020. Members of the Germantown Kiwanis Club voted to cancel the fireworks and picnic in the park. But the Germantown 4th of July Parade tradition will be preserved.
The reason for the cancellation is a concern for the safety of Germantown citizens, and a desire to avoid events which would invite large numbers of citizens to congregate while the COVID-19 virus is still active. “We know this will come as an enormous disappointment to some and a relief to others as the Kiwanis Club announces cancellation of this year’s 4th of July Festivities in Germantown,” the Kiwanis Club stated in their news release. “This is a decision we have been agonizing over as we wait to see where this virus takes us, especially with the recent re-opening of Wisconsin. This decision has been made based on the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department Blueprint which the Village has recently adopted for reopening of the local community.”
The Germantown 4th of July Celebration has always been one of the best in Southeastern Wisconsin. We are, in fact, known for our thrilling patriotic Fireworks displays, and for our 4th of July parade. For the past twenty years, the Germantown Kiwanis Club has coordinated the 4th of July Celebration here in Germantown.
This decision has also been made with input from the Village of Germantown as Kiwanis Club relies on
them heavily for law enforcement, crowd control, park preparation and clean-up and fire safety. As a
leader in the community, the Kiwanis Club has made this decision with the safety of the public foremost
in their minds.
“We want to thank our local sponsors for their support, including American Paper & Packaging, Dental
Professionals, Exit Realty XL, Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin and Sendik’s Food Markets, LLC.,” Kiwanis club leaders commented. “We know that several non-profits use the 4th of July Festivities to raise funds and we regret that those opportunities will be lost. We fully understand the negative economic impact of the cancellation. The Kiwanis Club will reach out to these groups and offer support as we are able.
We will begin planning for a bigger and better 4th of July in 2021, and as always, we cannot do it without
the support of our amazing Germantown community!
Kiwanis of Germantown is very involved in the community and hosts great events like the 4th of July, A Taste of Germantown and Breakfast with Santa. Profits from these events allow Kiwanis to provide funding to organizations like Germantown Park & Recreation, Germantown Police Department, the volunteer programs of the Germantown Schools like Mac Leaders, K-Kids and Key Club, Germantown Chamber of Commerce, Germantown Community Band and the Germantown Community Library. We are also proud to award two Scholarships every year to volunteering seniors, as well as participating or sponsoring other community events throughout the year.
For a review of last year’s amazing 4th of July Celebration here in Germantown follow this link.
