Sleigh and cutter parade Saturday

For 74 years, the Waseca Sleigh and Cutter parade has been building its reputation for consistency and showmanship–while also proving it’s possible to find fun and variety in the wintertime. 

 

After all, every kid loves a parade and we’re all kids at heart. 

 

Sleigh and Cutter planning committee member Ken Borgmann sees much to be excited about as Saturday’s parade approaches. 

 

Participants from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa will gather at the county fairgrounds Saturday morning to get their horses and rigs set up and ready for the 12:00 start. Borgmann promises a tremendous variety of units, from rough-ridin’ horseback groups to elegant carriages to the solemn ceremony of the Law Enforcement Memorial Association Caisson drawn on a flatbed trailer.

 

He anticipates 1,500 people or more will line the parade route: depending on the weather and their own preferences, whole families will park in their cars along Third Street Northeast, or set up chairs along downtown sidewalks, where no parking will be allowed.

 

He notes that the parade leaves the fairgrounds along Third Street Northeast at noon and returns via Fourth Street Northeast somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour later. Folks wishing to stay in their vehicles should position themselves along those streets. A map of the route will be available on the Waseca City Police Department’s Facebook page at least a day in advance.

 

As a horseman and member of the Waseca County Sheriff’s posse, Borgmann says he takes the opportunity to ride in the parade whenever he can. “It’s gratifying to see those folks, especially children, with their faces pressed up against their windows to watch all the units pass. They wave and clap as they see everything come by.

 

“It helps us know we’re doing a good and important thing.”

 

Borgmann has been on the Sleigh and Cutter planning committee for more than 30 years, and remembers that, over the many decades the parade has been held, participants have had everything from sunny, comfortable rides to icy, bitter ones–and still they continue to come.

 

“Part of it’s the fellowship,” Borgmann observes. “We love to get together and talk horse.”

 

As the parade finishes, participants settle their animals and equipment in place and share each others’ company at a meal served by members of the Waseca Area Foundation. There, they either recover from or rejoice regarding the weather on the ride, and continue to socialize. Borgmann says many parade recipients have told the planning committee it’s their best parade experience all year.

 

“Between the kids watching and the horsemen taking part,” Borgmann comments, “it’s a great experience for everyone.”