Yes, you read that correctly.

The decision is in poor taste.

And I guarantee, I thought long and hard about my opinion, far more than the five minutes it took Mayor Steve Olson and parade organizer Ann Adamski to decide after people died and people got injured. What’s our reaction? WE’RE GOING TO KEEP OUR CELEBRATION! RIGHT ON TIME! RIGHT ON SCHEDULE!

While numerous other communities are correctly taking a thoughtful approach to whether they should keep or cancel their parades Franklin couldn’t wait to make a mad dash to their keyboards.

WE’RE STILL ON EVERYBODY! WE’RE STILL ON!

As a city, Franklin is 65 years old as of this past August. Because Franklin is, as my late father used to say, the last rose on the bush, Franklin has never had a Christmas Parade.

And for 65 years there’s been no rush to have one. This year seems different. With about a month, maybe slightly more, Franklin gleefully announced it would have such a celebration. Never find that for the 29 years I’ve lived here, having a year to organize an Independence Day Parade, it can’t get unit 2 to follow Unit 1, and Unit 3 to follow Unit 2, etc. to save its soul. Suddenly this year we’re having a December parade extravaganza. Even though the fear of COVID and the almighty edict of un-elected Franklin health czar Courtney Day wiped out anything fun in Franklin for months.

So nothing’s going to stop it. Except mourning, grieving, simple decent respect.

We’re told the event will be safe. That totally misses the point. Few will think otherwise.

It’s the TIMING. It’s horrible. It’s, to repeat, in poor taste.

And how about the argument that if we cancel, “they win.”

Who the hell are they?

And how do “they win “if Franklin decides to mourn and grieve for the victims?

My friend Steve Olson, as I’ve pointed out in the past, is politically flawed. He is never wrong. The city of Franklin is never wrong.

That mindset is patently wrong. So I expect he and others will be ticked at my position. Does anyone honestly think I really care?

When others have canceled their parades Franklin can boast “WE’RE STILL HAVING OURS!”

I personally believe Franklin’s parade will be a bigger bust than Dolly Parton. But for now they can stage it, and smile, and cheer. While in Waukesha they weep and wonder as they observe what might have been.