Village Days Preparations Winding Down as Celebration Nears

David Miller and a handful of volunteers were set to stuff 700 gift bags Thursday night, bags that will be given to those who participate in Alumni Village, one of a handful of great activities planned for this year’s special Village Days.

The bag-stuffing is just one of the many details the Greendale Celebrations Committee is trying to finalize before the five-day 75th Anniversary Celebration begins Wednesday.

“We’re getting there,” Miller said.

Miller said nearly 500 alumni registered to attend Alumni Village, which will be set up next Friday and Saturday, but that’s just a fraction of the people expected to flow through the streets downtown next week.

“I’m sure it will be thousands,” Miller said. “The Badger Band event, we’ll probably have 2,500. And that night is the laser light show, and I expect because it’s free, a lot of people in the village can just walk down there.

“It will be a huge crowd, unless it’s pouring rain. But the long-term weather outlook is pretty good.”

Miller, who is one of the event coordinators for Greendale’s biggest party ever, said he’s personally looking forward to the hot air balloon rides Wednesday and the Badger Band performance Thursday, the first time the band has played at an outdoor event in the village.

He was also excited to announce to Patch on Wednesday that in next Sunday’s parade, three members of the village’s first kindergarten class of 1938 will be on a special 75th anniversary float along with a half-dozen kids from this year’s first-grade class.

“We’ll have bookends,” Miller said.

But though Miller likes those events most because they are unique, he’s thrilled the five-day lineup has something for everyone.

“The Retro 40s night (Wednesday) is for the older people who remember that nostalgic era, but you have the family entertainment area and stage, a movie in front of the middle school and so much more," Miller said.

“We want to celebrate the 75 years for the people who remember because they were growing up way back then, and build memories for the younger generation.”

Greendale Patch will continue to provide previews leading up to Village Days and will be onsite for all five days of the celebration, so stay tuned for more coverage.

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