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Hales Corners July 4th Committee finalizes parade route, vendors and special events; seeks volunteers
Summary
The July 4th Committee outlined logistics for July 3–4 events including a return to the traditional Run route, vendor parking on S. New Berlin Road, a planned military flyover request, a proposed drone photo, and multiple volunteer‑run activities; several events still need coordinators.
The Village of Hales Corners July 4th Committee met March 4, 2026, and moved forward with logistics for the July 3–4 celebrations, confirming parade and run arrangements, vendor placement and a slate of family activities while flagging several items that still need coordinators.
At the meeting, N. Wilkes said the Hales Corners Lions approved use of the Pavilion for packet pickup on July 3 (noon–3 p.m.) and for Run and Children’s Parade activities on July 4 (6 a.m.–11 a.m.). The committee agreed the Firecracker Four run will return to its traditional route and that commemorative T‑shirts will include an element marking the USA 250 milestone, a suggestion introduced by E. Valaitis and discussed alongside theme proposals from A. Dunning.
Organizers plan to place all food and drink vendors on S. New Berlin Road; Nancy will contact the health department to verify whether vendor fees apply. A. Dunning submitted space requests to “WSD” for use of HCE outdoor spaces and filed an online request with Festival Foods seeking an ice cream donation of 650 units (confirmation pending). E. Valaitis said she will order nine medals of each type for the Children’s Parade plus one ‘Best in Show’ medal and has coordinated volunteer staffing for those segments. Dan O’Donnell has agreed to emcee children’s awards and games, and the Lion’s Leos will assist with patriotic tattoos from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Several contests and activities were discussed: a Patriotic Pet Costume Contest (sponsors and judges being arranged by N. Wilkes); bed races with a new design and 1st‑place trophy proposed by N. Wilkes; and a Hot Dog Eating Competition that still lacks a coordinator. J. Gilboy said Reis Automotive may provide corn hole games, and the committee discussed holding a tug‑of‑war before the fireworks with age brackets (middle school, high school and 18+); a coordinator is still needed and N. Wilkes will contact the Fire Department regarding rope use.
Parade planning includes outreach to the Sons/Daughters of the American Revolution and efforts to secure horse‑drawn carriages for the Village President and trustees. I. Thomson was assigned to update the parade application posted on the committee website. The committee also discussed asking the Band Boosters to assemble a small Revolutionary War–era fife and drum corps; E. Valaitis reported Gene Mueller cannot emcee the Big Parade. N. Wilkes said she has contacted Ideal Logo about sponsoring a special T‑shirt and coordinating pre‑4th online sales, and J. Gilboy plans to reach out to Kent Biganski to photograph the events.
New items flagged for follow‑up included a request from R. Lindner for a military flyover on July 4 and D. Besson’s offer to investigate the logistics of organizing a drone photo over the Hales Corners Park field. The committee did not make final decisions on those items during the meeting and will revisit them at a future session.
The committee scheduled its next meeting for Wednesday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m.
