The Fourth of July parade will look a little different in Brookfield this year.
Due to streetscape construction on the 3700 block of Grand Boulevard that is set to last through the end of the summer, the patriotic procession will follow a new route.
Starting in the northwest corner of town at 31st Street, marchers will head southeast along Grand Boulevard. But instead of continuing in that direction, the parade will turn east at Eight Corners onto Washington Avenue, continuing over Salt Creek before turning south at Arden Avenue and possibly looping around to Brookfield Village Hall, 8820 Brookfield Ave.
Village trustees did not formally approve the route, though they seemed to support it on April 28 at their committee of the whole meeting.
Luke Gundersen, Brookfield’s parks and recreation director, said staffers from several departments, including public works, police and administration devised the new route.
“It utilizes Washington Avenue, which provides ample width with the bike lanes included. Sidewalks along the route are unobstructed and suitable for spectators. It ensures a safe and accessible environment for both participants and viewers, and it maintains the traditional parade start and end points,” he told trustees at the meeting.
The announcers for the parade would likely be stationed at Eight Corners as a natural place for spectators to gather, he added.
Village President Michael Garvey suggested an alternate route, taking Grand Boulevard to Grant Avenue before turning south on Prairie Avenue.
“The only reason I’m a little hesitant about this route is that last stretch along Arden. One side is the oak savannah. There are just residents on the east side of the block, and I don’t know that people would congregate,” he said.
Garvey said he also had concerns about the route affecting overnight parking in the area.
“Typically, there’s parking on the east side of Arden that we allow for the [annual] Party in the Park, where people get there very early and set up in the park. Obviously, that area would have to be no parking whatsoever,” he said. “There’s literally dozens, if not hundreds, of people that park, go out there, drop off stuff the night before [or] very early the morning of. If we’re going to tell them they can’t do that until after the parade is over or [have them] come in through the parking lot in Kiwanis, I think the logistics of getting people to and from there is something we really got to think about.”
Gundersen said forthcoming construction work on the Brookfield Avenue sidewalk was one reason staff recommended the route down Washington Avenue.
“We don’t know the timeline on that, so that would affect our route going along that way, mainly our spectator viewing. As you know, through the years, spectator viewing has lined either side of the street. We get great participation, so that was definitely a key consideration for us,” he said.
Gundersen added Brookfield would close down parking along the route for the duration of the parade but could reopen it around 11 or 11:30 a.m. “on the east side of Arden to help bring more parking in for the Party in the Park that’ll be starting at 12:30.”
Trustee Katie Kaluzny said she preferred the route along Washington Avenue due to the existing lack of parking.
Trustee Nicole Gilhooley pushed back on Garvey’s concerns about attendance along Arden Avenue.
“I think [the oak savannah] would be a perfect place to sit. I think I would love to watch it from there because there’s space, and as somebody whose house it wouldn’t go past if we changed this, it would be a nice spot to be,” she said.
“I think it’s nice, too, for the people who don’t necessarily want to sit in somebody else’s front yard,” Trustee Jennifer Hendricks added.
Gilhooley said closing parking on Arden Avenue, with residences on only one side of the street, would affect fewer people than blocking it along Grant and Prairie avenues.
She and Trustee Kit Ketchmark suggested ending the parade at the intersection of Arden and Brookfield avenues rather than forcing marchers to continue west toward the central business district or turn into the parking lot at village hall.
“What if you don’t allow them to go into the Brookfield parking lot, either? To [Garvey’s] point, there could be many more cars in there this year,” Gilhooley said. “Maybe you force them to go either east or west on Brookfield Avenue.”
Garvey agreed it would allow participants in both Brookfield’s and Riverside’s parades that day a natural point to head east toward Riverside.
“Anyone that wants to make the turn west to go on Brookfield Avenue to get into the park can,” he said, “but then you have an escape valve where people can go to the [east] and get out.”
He advocated for village staff to spread the word early, so residents know what to expect well before the holiday.
“As always, there’s going to be people that are unhappy with this because there’s a change, and they don’t have the parade,” he said. “Let’s really get this out ahead of time on social media as soon as possible and then follow up. Mention the restrictions that are going to be on Arden.”
