Waupun Lights of the Night truckers parade cut short due to mishap

Chaos and disorder. Two words that best describe the Lights of the Night truck parade Friday night, August 9, 2024 at the Waupun Truck n Show.

The parade started 20 minutes late, then about half way through, a gap of about five minutes in parade participants made attendees think the parade was over. Vehicles started driving onto the closed Main Street to leave at intersections where there was no traffic control by law enforcement or barricades.

The large amount of cars then met with the now continuing parade and what was described as a gridlock occurred.

At first officers were going to try and clear the road so the parade could continue, but eventually one officer stated “It was too far gone” and they made the decision to cut the parade short.

It took about 20 minutes to a half hour for things to get under control. At one point a call came into the Fond du Lac County Communication Center saying barricades were removed from an intersection near McDonalds on the east side of town and citizens were trying to direct traffic.

There will be another parade Saturday with the trucks along the same route.

This year’s event is being billed as the last Waupun Truck n Show.

The festival had a run of 36 years but now with organizers retiring, and no one stepping up to take their place, it seems as though the festival will cease to go on.