Hartland trustees debate parade route and time; item returned for more planning

Trustees and village staff opened a broad discussion about the 2026 Hometown parade route and timing, balancing safety, business impacts and volunteer capacity.

Board members framed the discussion in the context of recent national incidents and local crowd-management needs; staff said the village can implement any route the board selects but that different routes carry different resource and closure needs. Options under consideration included returning to the traditional route (which would better serve businesses on Cottonwood) and alternative routing down Goodwin, which staff said could be less resource-intensive. Staff emphasized the need for staging, pickup points for parents and coordination with Saint Charles Church on mass times; trustees asked staff to reach out to Father Ken about moving or foregoing the 11 a.m. service on parade day.

Trustees also debated parade start times (proposals around 11:00–11:30 a.m. to avoid the midday heat versus an earlier start) and whether the beer garden should be open on Sunday; one trustee proposed allowing a third-party organization to run beer sales as a fundraiser to reduce volunteer burden. Staff recommended additional outreach to the carnival operator and affected businesses, suggested designated pickup locations (e.g., Grist Mill parking and Hartland North) and said social-media messaging will be crucial to avoid congestion. The board agreed to bring the item back on the February 9 meeting with more data and stakeholder input.