 Good morning, Sheboygan. Welcome to the 2023 Memorial Day Parade. My name is Mike Martin and joining me in the broadcast is John Putnam and our cameraman this morning is Greg Zablaki. John, you've been involved in setting this whole parade up. Talk a little bit about launch and what that is to Lakeland College. For sure. It's a pleasure and an honor to be a part of the Sheboygan Memorial Day Parade. Launch is Lakeland Student Run Businesses. What it is is the program at Lakeland University established in May 2020 and it was really designed to give students an opportunity to really practice what they're learning in the classroom. Right now, oftentimes you've got to wait until after college to put it to use a lot of your learning and your skills. We decided why not figure out a way to provide these opportunities to current students. So we have students who get to do marketing opportunities, business leadership, accounting, finance and it's very cool. So we currently have four businesses. One of our businesses is our event planning business and we've been partnering with Kohler Credit Union in the city of Sheboygan to provide this fine parade these last couple years. Alright, Memorial Day of course celebration of giving credit to all the people that gave their lives for the freedom that we have here in this country and that's what this is all about and John and I look forward to presenting the parade to you. We're going to step out and get to our table and parade is right coming up. Yes sir. The first unit in the parade is the police department. Christopher Damagalski is the chief of police in Sheboygan and right behind the police car is the color guard. Memorial Day is an American holiday. It's observed on the last Monday in May honoring the men and women who died while serving in the US military. Originally Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day and it originated in the years following the Civil War. Approaching is Mayor Ryan Sorison representing the city of Sheboygan. Again we're very thankful for the partnership of the city of Sheboygan and providing this parade and memorializing those who have gone before us to ensure the freedoms that we observe today. See Ryan sometimes at the paradigm. You know what Alice tell him? Tell the city we want that budget back for sports broadcasting. He hasn't been successful yet. Following the mayor is Shoreline Metro Trolley provides a great service especially during the summertime of course. Real nice ride there. Harbor Center Express Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It's hard to beat the nostalgia of the trolley, isn't it? Yeah, I can't beat it. You're right. Dusty Fickett, one of the members of the Sheboygan Police Department color guard. And Dusty is a student way back in the day over at Horseman, yeah? He's an excellent pickleball player by the way. That's definitely made a resurgence in recent times. Approaching the town of Sheboygan Fire Department. That silver hammer looks pretty sharp. Yes it does. And we got that old style fire truck. And then the more modern one right behind it. Imagine taking that into a fire. I don't think they take the older one to the fire very often. That probably sits in the garage until next Memorial Day. Maybe 4th of July. Next up we have the UW Green Bay Veterans Service Team and United States Marine Corps. Pardon me, that was Jamie Schramm's got the UWGB Veterans Service Team and the various veterans and military dogs. Yes sir. Jamie has been a fundamental great part in the Sheboygan World Day Parades. I believe since 2015 when Korean Unions started being a part of the parade, Jamie's been a fantastic part in planning as well as very important for our ceremony that follows the Sheboygan World Day Parade. Right now we have the United States Marine Corps representing. You know of all the service organizations Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, so on and so forth, I think the Marine Corps has the sharpest looking uniforms. They do. They do. And I'm sure that they would tell you that and they probably say they're the best if you ask them. We have American Legion, the Schramm family. Jamie Son is a service member in the Marine Corps. Okay, cool. Siegfried Eckert, US Navy veteran. That's a former Navy man myself. An estimated number of military personnel participating in the parade is 16 veterans in honor guards, roughly 20 active duty reservists in the parade. And five active duty and veterans in the ceremony which will take place after the parade. Just two blocks away from our location over at Fountain Park. Walking right now is American Legion post number 83. We're very excited to have a huge number of our military groups representing. I know I was talking to one of our parade participants and they're expecting to have several veterans show up as well. So we're very excited to have the veteran support for this parade. Just going by us was the Prescott Banes, 83 Legion post. And they're familiar to me because they help sponsor the Legion baseball program here in Chauvin for years. American Corps League next in our parade. Marine Corps League 1446. And of course they're depicting the posting of the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II. You know who I think came sooner that we missed was the Sheboyin County fairs to the fair. Apparently they're not quite in order John. I think the order has fallen apart. I think we're going to have to be in our A game. Now I believe this is PSCO Kiefer and the Vietnam veteran group following after that. It's nice that originally when they started Decoration Day or Memorial Day it was just to honor the people that gave their lives during the Civil War. But as time went on they included all the veterans from all the wars that the United States has been involved with. You know it's definitely very important if you don't remember your past, you're doomed to repeat it in the future having this day of remembrance I know as a citizen means a lot in giving thanks to those who have sacrificed all just to ensure that we're able to be here today. I mean it's very important to recognize that. Lee Greenwood coming up with this version of approaching now as a group that I'm very partial to the best church in the county if I had to say. Pennacoste is a Chevoyan county with pastor John D. Putnam who's actually... Is he a relative? Yeah just slightly. He will be doing the ceremony at the site today. We're very excited to be a part of the parade. I know our church has been a part of the parade for years. So you said John Putnam was slightly your relative? That would be my father. So we're very, very excited to be a part. Giving you a big cheer John. All right. I'll take all the help I could get. And here comes Nancy. There's Nancy. And next up is the South I marching band. Hey, not so fast man. There you go. Take one. I'll take one. There you go. Thank you very much. Our Chevoygan area school bands have been very involved part of the parade also in these last couple of years. Hey Wade. South I was participating in the Chevoygan A's 5K run last weekend and they had their drum line there and provided a little inspiration for the runners. Were they running in the 5K? No, they weren't running. They were playing. Imagine. I can only imagine as a percussionist myself carrying a bass drum that far would be too much. Wade Heinen does a really great job with the band. I know when we were doing basketball games at South a lot of times instead of having the camera face the court when we did our openings on the floor, we'd walk around and stand on the court so the camera could face and show the band in the background and they were really, really, really good. We had another high school band coming up too. Yes we do. Right now it's the Black American community outreach group and following them is American Heritage Girls and Trail Life Troop. Now they're coming in quick order. Yes they are. It's easier now. Especially since they're in the right order. Next up is the Tauna Wilson Fire Department. See them marching by and some of their equipment. It's awesome to see all parts of our Triborian County community being represented today in this parade. In terms of where the Memorial Day celebrations all started, there's some talk that it happened in the south or some talk that happened in the north but when they finally made their decisions, John, they decided and this was back in the 1800s but it was in 1966 the federal government declared that Waterloo New York was the official birthplace of the Memorial Day Parade. Of course. Walking right now is our Sheboygan County Sheriff Department with Sheriff Cory Raceler. Recently elected. Yes and the Sheboygan County Public Safety Cadets are walking with the Sheriff and it seems that Sergeant Ryan Kelly is having some fun with the siren as well. At our expense. Of course. Greg Zablaki, our cameraman doing a great job. Picking up all the action. Now it looks like approaching is the Sheboygan YMCA Genastics Team. Genastics and Dance Team. That would not be in order. Back in 1868 General John A. Logan, a leader of an organization of northern civil war veterans called for a nationwide day of remembrance. Later that month it was happened started in May 5th and of course it was on the 30th of May and it's been continuing our Memorial Day celebration the last Monday in May and they tied it in to a Monday, John so that federal employees would have a long three-day weekend. You gotta appreciate that three-day weekend. Exactly. Those girls aren't training. Sheboygan North and South combined for a gymnastics team competes in the WIAA. According to my list, John, it should be the Marine Corps League 1446 or did they go by us already? They already went by us. I think this is the rest of the YMCA Dance Group. I think you got it. I think you're right there. You're speeding up. Denise Nugent runs this program down at the Y. She's been down there for a long, long time. There we go. We are going to see a demonstration. You're next, John. Yeah, I was about to say you. You know, I'll do it if you do it. Age has this purple just, John. I think we'll let the professionals do it and we'll just stick to announcing. Now approaching is family service or family connections. They're doing the long throws. Nobody's going to go over to the curb and there we go. There's a handoff. Next we have coming up down the line is the North High School band. Feel the music shaking in your soul. When we do these basketball games, I'll tell you just when they have the pep band in that in the gym and playing, it really adds to the environment of the field house. There's nothing like a good old pep band. And having a band in a parade is really great too. That's one of the things with the 4th of July parade, we don't get the high school bands and you might have one band or so and this is really nice. Royal Jingerie at the lead. Looks like we have Meals on Wheels, Sheboygan County. Meals on Wheels provides a very important service to the community and the credit goes out to those people who volunteer their time to fill that need. Now approaching is the city of Sheboygan's fire department. The significance of the post parade ceremony which will happen after our parade is to help celebrate the sacrifices by the military personnel. Our parade annually is attended by about 15 to 20,000 people and the ceremony is about 500 to 650 mostly military families and gold star families over at Fountain Park. We have great, great participant by our local veteran groups. And you mentioned your dad is going to be doing the opening prayer and closing prayer as a part of the ceremony today. Now this is the group I was talking about earlier, the Laomann and American Veterans Memorial. They were expecting to have a couple hundred veterans show up today and I didn't know if I believed them and now I certainly do. They have had several participants and I believe they're also doing their own memorial service at 730 today at the Sheboygan Memorial Office Park. 23 I believe so. Okay. Yeah, they do have quite a contingent. That's really cool. Got this announcement for the post parade Memorial Day celebration ceremony. 2023 Sheboygan Memorial Day Parade and Fountain Park ceremony is a collaboration between the city of Sheboygan, the United States Military, active duty personnel and veterans. Sheboygan County Veterans Service Office, Coal Recredit Union and Launch Lakeland University run businesses is responsible for that parade. We wish to thank all those who have participated and support our effort in leading this worthwhile community event and the opening musical selection is by the Sheboygan County Pops Concert directed by Greg Keel and the program will follow. Right now approaching the Rogers Behavioral Health Group and coming up behind them is an assortment of Boy Scouts of America troops. That gentleman playing the horn was right by us before we got started today and he was looking where to go and he actually found where he was supposed to be. Good job by that young man, a nice playing of the horn. Were you a Boy Scout? No, I was not. I probably should have been. Might have helped me in my early years. I think I was in the Cub Scouts but I was not a real big fan of camping out and doing all that kind of thing but I did have a high school friend who went on to become an Eagle Scout. Wow. It was a really good effort and it's a great program, great for kids and wish more children would get involved in things like that. For sure. Right now is the Homes for Independent Living, a MyPath company. That's different than the Habitat for Humanity. I believe so. It's a different organization. Oh boy, I can hear some of the cars coming. Help close out the parade. Would that be the Sheboygan Area Mustang Owners Club? I believe so. And they're not due for a couple more but they're already making a sound. Oh here they are. Well that first Mustang, the green one is pretty nice. That's very nice. Again, this is the Sheboygan Area Mustang Owners Club. It's great to have a show of American muscle vehicles. That green one definitely steals the show. I'm in awe. It's really awesome. Never owned a Mustang. They are definitely sharp looking cars. An American icon for sure. Very nice contingent from that group. Now to close out the parade, we are honored to have the local United States Coast Guard auxiliary group. With a little boat, but they also got the real deal. The little boat would be for putting in your backyard swimming pool for little kids. Give them the honorary experience. And then we have the big boat. The real deal. And the traditional ending of the parade is the Sheboygan police car at the rear. John, it was great working with you this morning. It was a pleasure to be here. Again, we're very excited here at launch to be able to provide this experience. This parade was organized and managed and facilitated this morning all by Lakeland students. We're very excited to have been a part this last three years. And we're very excited to continue this partnership with the city of Sheboygan as well as the core credit union for all the future Memorial Day parades as they come. Great job by your group, John. And I think people need to recognize the importance of Lakeland College to Sheboygan and Sheboygan County because they provide a great service. For sure. Lakeland University has become such a great part of the community. We recognize that Sheboygan County is one of our huge values as a community. And being able to now be a part of Lakeland in a new way through Jake's Lakeland community. Having a location on site here in Sheboygan as well as expanding our efforts into the community. We've been very blessed to have been in Sheboygan County continue to be a part and be even more part of the future. Alright, thanks John. And thanks to Greg, our cameraman for providing his time this morning. And thank you to Sheboygan. Remember to give credit to all the service members who gave their all for our country. And with that, thanks for watching everybody and we'll see you down the road.