Spring is finally here, bringing a bloom to La Crosse. With the change in season, the Flower Parade took over Pearl Street on May 2, celebrating native plants and their ecological importance in supporting biodiversity.
The free event ran from noon to 3 p.m. and featured a parade, live music and activities centered on environmental awareness.
The idea for the parade started as a simple thought that grew into something much bigger.
“We saw a picture of people dressed as flowers and thought, ‘That would be so cool,’” organizer Kareena Sheely said. “Then we asked how we could incorporate native wildflowers and prairie grasses into that and bring some education to the community.”
Sheely, a La Crosse resident, said the event became possible after applying for and receiving a grant through the City Arts Board.
A major focus of the parade was to raise awareness about native plants and their importance to the region.
“A lot of our landscapes are made up of plants that don’t belong here,” Sheely said. “Turning our yards into little prairies can help support pollinators and restore some of what was here before.”
Free native plant seeds were available at the event for attendees to take, along with informational pamphlets.
Another important part of this event was the mutual aid drive. The drive was done in collaboration with Driftless Mutual Aid, which aims to support members of the community in need.
“When people are gathering, why not also collect things to give back to the community?” Sheely said.
In preparation for the parade, multiple workshops were hosted at the Nature Place where community members created costumes and decorations using recycled materials.
“It was really about creating a space where people could come together and make things without needing their own materials,” Sheely said. “People had a lot of fun just creating together.”
Sheely said one of the most surprising parts of organizing the event was how many people struggled to understand that anyone can plan something like this.
“People keep asking what I’m a part of, and I’m just an individual doing something,” she said. “You don’t have to be part of an organization; you can just do it.”
Though the parade was the center of attention, there was another message in the air. A message centered on bringing the community together.
“We all need some form of joy right now,” Sheely said. “Collective joy can be a form of resistance.”
