WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Waukesha Chamber of Commerce has announced artist, sculptor and TV host Carmen de la Paz as the grand marshal for this year's Christmas parade, marking the 62nd year of the beloved community tradition.
De la Paz has spent the last four years dedicating her time and talents to creating tiles for the Waukesha Christmas Parade Memorial, and this year completed a sculpture that will sit alongside it.
"I have gotten to know many of the families that have lost their loved ones," de la Paz said.
"So much of this is inspired by the fact that those people lost their life and I'm still here and I'm going to represent something that represents them, their family, and their love," de la Paz said.
The Chamber of Commerce revealed the parade's theme will be "Jingle Bell Rock," a nod to Waukesha's nickname as "Guitar Town."
Watch: Waukesha native and TV star named Christmas Parade grand marshal
"Our theme is Jingle Bell Rock. We came up with that with Waukesha being nicknamed Guitar Town," said Kim Krueger, president of the Waukesha Area Chamber of Commerce.
Adrienne Bryant, presenting sponsor, said the theme represents renewal and community unity.
"To show that bringing back together to show that renewed life, and we thought that really spoke to the parade and what the parade means," Bryant said.
The parade is scheduled for Sunday, December 7, beginning at 4 p.m. in downtown Waukesha. Organizers encourage children to bring their letters to Santa, as US Postal Workers will collect them at the end of the parade to deliver them to the North Pole.
TMJ4 News is once again a sponsor of this year's Christmas parade.
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