With the holiday season fast approaching, several communities within the area — including Fort Atkinson, Whitewater and Jefferson — have announced their plans to kickoff the celebratory season with a lighted holiday parade.

Fort Atkinson

In Fort Atkinson the annual lighted holiday parade will be held Sunday, Dec. 3, between 4:30 and 6 p.m., according to information provided on the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce website. Parade entrants will begin lining up at 2:30 p.m.

Parade staging will be held in the Fort Atkinson Middle School Parking lot, 329 High St., Fort Atkinson.

The parade route is as follows: Milwaukee Avenue, through downtown Main Street, with all motorized or animal-drawn floats continuing to Madison Avenue and onto Robert Street, with a return to the parade’s starting point. All walking entries return to the starting point via the bike trail, information released by the chamber noted.  

The parade is in its 27th year and sponsored this year by Enbridge and Homes for Independent Living, A MyPath Company, the chamber’s website states.

The website further notes that the parade’s “new date, coincides with the city’s Holiday Market weekend.”

According to the website, the holiday market will be held Saturday, Dec. 2, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and will provide shoppers with five indoor market locations: the city’s municipal building, the Fort Atkinson Club community center building, First Congregational Church and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

Shoppers visiting the multiple indoor markets will find art, handmade crafts, fresh produce, coffee, jams, soaps, and honey, among other products offered for sale.

Additionally, the website, noted, those attending the market will find refreshments, in-store specials, strolling carolers, and trolley rides.

The event also features “Red Boxes,” each with QR codes which allow shoppers to participate in the chamber’s “Santa’s Bag Giveaway” contest. 

The contest opens Saturday, Nov. 25, in conjunction with Small Business Saturday and Holiday Open House. The contest will remain open for a week, allowing participants ample time to place their entry forms, the website stated. Participants may go to the Red Boxes locations, which are found throughout the downtown area, scan the QR codes and complete a survey. A paper survey also will be made available at the locations. Entries received by Saturday, Dec. 2, at 3 p.m. will be eligible to win the Santa’s Bag Giveaway, the website states. 

A winner of the giveaway will be announced “after Dec. 6,” information released by the chamber noted.

On Friday, the chamber announced that a list of locations where the Red Boxes will be located will be “coming soon.” 

Jefferson

In Jefferson, the annual lighted holiday parade will be held Saturday, Dec 2, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The parade is anticipated to complete by 6:30 p.m., according to the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce website.

According to its organizers, the parade is in its 27th year and is sponsored by Generac.

According to the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce website, the parade will begin at the intersection of Walworth and Main streets, and move north, through the city’s downtown area. It will next turn east onto Racine Street, then south onto Center Street where marchers will disband.

Additionally, the chamber, along with the Jefferson Police Department offer information about safety, stating on the chamber’s website that “public safety and security is of paramount concern, and has always been a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional effort. The Jefferson Police Department has emergency action plans in place and would like to thank its law enforcement partners who have provided additional security assistance, including, but not limited to, the Wisconsin State Patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and the Jefferson County Emergency Communications, to make this a safe and secure event for all.”

Whitewater

In Whitewater, the annual lighted holiday parade will be held Friday, Dec. 1, beginning at 6 p.m.

According to parade organizers, this year’s event will begin its march on Fourth Street, with parade participants lining up at 5:30 p.m. in a nearby alley. The parade will proceed along Main Street, to Whitewater Street, and end in the Cravath Lakefront Park parking lot.

Additional activities associated with the parade are slated to begin at 4 p.m. in the city’s downtown area, and a tree-lighting ceremony will be held on Main Street near the mill pond clock following the parade.

The parade is sponsored by Generac.