By Kim McDarison
The “Merry Mixer,” a lighted cement mixing truck owned and operated by Ozinga, an Illinois-based concrete supplier, will be participating this year in the 25th Fort Atkinson Holiday Parade, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 13.
The entry is one of 50 lighted floats and vehicles participating this year, Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce Associate Director Anna Jensen recently told Fort Atkinson Online.
This will be the Merry Mixer’s first time participating in the Fort Atkinson Holiday Parade, Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Carrie Chisholm said.
The Merry Mixer, as described by Ozinga, sports some 32,000 programmed LED lights, among other decorations, which feature animated light sequences and renditions of 11 favorite Christmas tunes.
While the Merry Mixer will be in Fort Atkinson on Nov. 13, it is not the vehicle’s only stop: during the months of November and December, the mixer will make stops across several states, including Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois, beginning its holiday adventure in Shipshewanna, Ind., on Nov. 6, and finishing in Brookfield, Ill., on Dec. 18.
In-between those dates, the mixer will join other holiday parades, including the Festival of Lights Parade in Crystal Lake, Ill. and the Electric Christmas Parade in Lake Geneva, Wis. There also is a scheduled stop at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, according to information recently released by Ozinga.
The company, based in Mokena, Ill., was established in 1928, according to its website.
The Merry Mixer made its debut in 2017, Ozinga Communications Director Kristi Munno said.
That year, the truck was outfitted with 20,000 LED lights. The display has grown each year. In earlier years, Munno noted, a mixing truck was pulled form the fleet and decorated for the holiday. Two years ago, she said, a single truck was designated as the company’s show model.
The truck has its own garage and stays decorated year-round, she added.
In earlier years, Munno said, the truck traveled throughout the Chicagoland area, but a couple of years ago, the truck was included in an event in Wisconsin.
The vehicle was so well received, she said, that the company has since been reaching out into the state, looking for opportunities to share their holiday enthusiasm.
According to Munno, the company has always been engaged with community involvement.
“We want to focus on where we live, work and play,” she said, adding that the company has locations in Wisconsin and employees that live in the state.
In the 1950s, the company began painting their trucks red and white.
“People associated it with candy canes and Christmas,” Munno said.
The company has also participated in Halloween events, putting candy in the ready-mix portion of the truck, which, she said, was a big hit with kids.
Jensen noted recently that preparations for the Fort Atkinson Holiday Parade are in full swing. Jensen has been in communication, she said recently, with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, who also are looking forward to adding Fort Atkinson’s parade to their holiday itinerary. The Yuletide couple plans to participate in the parade and then remain on hand to take photographs with children.
A full parade lineup will be coming in a separate story.
This year, the parade will start at 5:30 p.m., beginning on Milwaukee Avenue and will travel from its starting point on South High Street near the city’s historical water tower and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, through downtown on Main Street, according to information recently released by the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce.
All motorized or animal-drawn floats continue on Madison Avenue to Robert Street and return to the starting point.
All walking entries return to the starting point via the Bike Trail, the release continued.
The Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce encourages parade guests to bring a can of non-perishable food to the parade. St. Paul’s Lutheran School collects the items as part of their annual food drive and donates them to the Fort Atkinson Food Pantry, according to the chamber’s release.
A full schedule of Merry Mixer appearances is here: https://ozinga.com/merry-mixer/.
A preview of the lighted vehicle is presented below.
To learn more about Ozinga, visit the company’s website: https://ozinga.com.
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