Wisconsin Grannies Join Las Vegas Veterans Parade

Roughly 25 members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies arrived in Las Vegas on Nov. 11 to march in the downtown Veterans Day parade. They joined the Vegas Golden Gals, a local senior pom-pom team, in a procession that included floats, cars, and marching groups along the route near Third Street and Colorado Avenue. Large crowds lined the streets to watch the two groups move through the downtown area.

The connection between the two teams began after a 2021 incident in Waukesha, Wisconsin. An SUV drove through a holiday parade there, killing four members of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies and two other people, while injuring 60 others. Las Vegas organizers reached out to the Wisconsin group to offer condolences. They subsequently formed the Vegas Golden Gals to create a similar senior pom-pom team in southern Nevada.

Cynthia, a member of the Vegas Golden Gals, said the local group is now in its fifth year. The team consists of women ages 55 and older, with the oldest member currently at age 75. She noted that the Vegas group has worked to build a relationship with the Milwaukee team since their formation.

Members of the Las Vegas team traveled to Wisconsin about a year and a half ago. They marched in the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies’ Fourth of July parades and at Summerfest, which Cynthia identified as the largest music festival in the world. During that trip, the Wisconsin group mentioned a future plan to visit Las Vegas for Veterans Day. They indicated the visit would occur about a year and a half later, a timeline that has now been realized.

The Milwaukee group arrived with some of their husbands to participate in this year’s parade. Cynthia stated that this marks the third Veterans Day parade for the Vegas Golden Gals. She shared that her husband is a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Air Force. She described the march as a way to honor service members and acknowledge the lives affected by previous parade events.

The two groups marched together in the downtown route, combining their efforts to pay tribute to local veterans. The event concluded with the groups completing their segment of the parade in the downtown corridor.