WAUKESHA, Wis. —

The Waukesha Christmas Parade returned to downtown Waukesha Sunday one year after a driver plowed through the same event killing six people and injuring dozens more.

The theme of this year's parade was Peace on Earth.

There were 80 groups marching in the parade, many of which are the same that were struck by tragedy including the Waukesha Blazers baseball club, the Dancing Grannies and Catholic Communities of Waukesha.

Several floats were decorated by Waukesha South High School band members and other students in honor of last year's victims.

Terry Rutledge has been a part of the Waukesha community for 45 years and was in the parade last year with the Salvation Army.

On Sunday, he drove a decorated plow.

Emotions were running high not only for the people who performed in the parade but also for those who attended.

"Last year after the parade we all came together, and it's just nice that even a year later, we're all still together, so it kind of solidified the whole community and kept us solidified for the whole year. The spirit never went away for Waukesha Strong," said Andrea Dorantes, who attended last year's parade.

Santa and Mrs. Claus were the last attraction in the parade.

The parade started at 4 p.m. along a new route and ended just before 5:30 p.m.

It began at Cutler Park, near Maple and Wisconsin avenues. It then went east along Main Street, south on Barstow Street and ended back at Cutler Park.

For some, it was an opportunity to heal.

"It's a very full circle moment being back. Immediately after the events of last year I started therapy so that way I could start healing right away so this is definitely the last step in my healing process," said Joe Eisenman, who attended last year's parade.

For others, like Eisenman's father, it was an opportunity to offer support.

"I just went through everything that he went through last year. We weren't here but we went through it when he was here," said Chris Eisenman.

The parade offered an opportunity for Waukesha to redefine its Christmas parade.

"Last year brought a lot of terror and a lot of confusion, but this year I honestly see nothing but happiness. That's definitely something that's different, but it's also definitely something that's amazing," said Joe Eisenman.

Parade attendees created good memories to overshadow the bad ones.

"We were here right in front of the Dancing Granny troop. So we saw a lot that day so it'll be good to see them back in the parade," said Dorantes.

Healing Hearts of Wisconsin was on hand at Sunday's parade. The organization provides support for grieving children and their families. They had a tent sent up at Cutler Park. The group also had personnel along the parade route to provide support to those struggling.

A fatal plane crash in Watertown, Wisconsin, claimed the lives of a 73-year-old pilot and his 8-year-old grandson joining him for a flight up to northern Wisconsin.

Summit View Elementary School sent a letter to inform families about the tragic loss of student Colin Strebe on June 14 due to an accident.

The aircraft plunged into a grove of trees at Brandt Quirk Park near a residential area on Wednesday at approximately 9 a.m. Investigators spent much of Thursday at the site, where pieces of the wreckage were spread across the soccer field.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were at the airport hangar to examine the evidence.

According to reports from Federal Aviation Administration, the plane had just taken off from the Municipal Airport about 3 miles from the accident site. Sources say the flight was planned to Manitowish Waters.

Investigators will collect as much information as they can from witnesses, and the wreckage itself, to determine, if they can, what led to this family tragedy in Watertown.

Watertown police department said the Brandt Quirk Park would remain closed through the weekend for site cleanup.

Police have yet to identify the victims, officially saying only that there were two victims. The pilot is from Watertown, and his grandson is from Waukesha.

The FAA and National Transportation Board will lead the investigation.

WATCH: Scary moment for Watertown neighbors who heard and 'felt' the plane crash

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WAUKESHA, Wisc. — The Waukesha Christmas parade was going on just a block away from the Craft Lounge on Main Street. As chaos erupted on Sunday, many used the bar to seek shelter. But on Thursday, the community used the space to heal.

Finding room to give thanks after Sunday's tragic events might seem unimaginable for those in Waukesha, but despite it all, gratitude filled the air as people came together at the Craft Lounge. Many brought their own Thanksgiving dish to contribute.

Fairuza Jones and her mother carried in a turkey. Her son and husband were downtown at the parade on Sunday.

"My son was downtown when everything happened and my heart goes out to all families, you know, that lost a loved one or had somebody injured," Jones said.

Jones' son is only 6 years old and thankfully was unharmed. Today, she is grateful her loved ones are alive.

The Friendsgiving event was originally a private party that Tony Davis was organizing for his friends.

"I had a lot of friends that don't have family members to spend the holiday with," Davis said. "When everything on Sunday happened, that's when plans changed."

While Davis wasn't at the parade, he has still felt every bit of pain and loss that many in his Waukesha community are experiencing.

"It's tough driving down that street and seeing the areas where you know certain things occurred and happened," he said. "Now more than ever, we really want people to understand, whether you were here at the parade, you witnessed things live or you saw it on the news, we're all grieving together and we need an avenue for us to be able to heal together."

Together, he believes the community can build back.

In just 48 hours, Davis was able to gather over $3,000 of donated gifts to be auctioned off. He says all of the proceeds will be donated to the United Waukesha Fund.

"When you have that kind of outreach in such a short time it's truly a testament to what makes Waukesha strong," he said.

This story was originally published by Jessica Madhukar on Scripps station TMJ4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

WAUKESHA, Wis. —

Warning: The above video contains footage that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

An SUV driver sped through a police line and into a parade of Christmas marchers on Sunday, injuring 29 people in a horrifying scene captured by the city’s livestream and the cellphones of onlookers.

Waukesha police Chief Dan Thompson said “some” people had been killed but would not give an exact number. A person was in custody, he said, but did not give any indication of a motive.

One video shows a woman screaming, “Oh my God!” repeatedly after a group of girls wearing Santa hats and dancing with white pompoms is struck. Another shows the SUV plowing into members of a marching band, their music replaced with terrified screams

Police also had custody of the vehicle, Thompson said. The investigation was ongoing.

As the SUV broke through barricades, a Waukesha police officer fired his gun in an attempt to stop the vehicle, Thompson said. No bystanders were injured and Thompson said he did not know if the driver was struck by the officer's bullets.

One video shows the moment the SUV broke through the barricades and the sound of what appears to be several gunshots.

The video taken when the pompom dancers got struck ends with a group of people tending to one of the girls who is on the ground.

Corey Montiho, a Waukesha school district board member, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that his daughter’s dance team was hit by the SUV.

“They were pompoms and shoes and spilled hot chocolate everywhere. I had to go from one crumpled body to the other to find my daughter,” he said. “My wife and two daughters were almost hit. Please pray for everybody. Please pray.”

One entry in the parade, the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, posted on its Facebook page that “members of the group and volunteers were impacted and we are waiting for word on their conditions.” The post asked people to keep the Grannies and anyone else injured in their prayers. The group’s profile describes them as a “group of grannies that meet once a week to practice routines for summer and winter parades.”

Chris Germain, co-owner of the Aspire Dance Center studio, had about 70 girls in the parade ranging from as young as 2 being pulled in wagons to age 18. Germain, whose own 3-year-old daughter was in the parade, said he was driving at the head of their entry when he saw a maroon SUV that “just blazed right past us.” A police officer came by on foot chasing after, he said. Germain said he jumped out of his own SUV and gathered the girls who were with him.

“There were small children laying all over the road, there were police officers and EMTs doing CPR on multiple members of the parade," he said.

Angelito Tenorio, a West Allis alderman who is running for Wisconsin state treasurer, said he was watching the parade with his family when they saw the SUV come speeding into the area.

“Then we heard a loud bang,” Tenorio said. “And after that, we just heard deafening cries and screams from the crowd, from the people at the parade. And people started rushing, running away with tears in their eyes crying.”

The Waukesha school district canceled classes Monday and said in a notice on its website that extra counselors would be on hand for students and staff. The parade’s list of entries included cheer, dance and band entries associated with district schools.

Gov. Tony Evers said he and his wife, Kathy, were “praying for Waukesha tonight and all the kids, families, and community members affected by this senseless act.”

Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, who was at the parade but left just before the incident, called it “an unspeakable tragedy, affecting us all as we work to overcome an extremely challenging two years and resume our cherished holiday traditions.”

The parade is sponsored by the city’s Chamber of Commerce. This year’s edition was the 59th of the event that’s held each year the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

WAUKESHA, Wis. —

A mother is suing a Wisconsin school district after she said her son contracted COVID-19 from a classmate.

Shannon Jensen filed the lawsuit in federal court on Oct. 5 against the Waukesha School District and school board.

Jensen is seeking an injunction ordering the district to comply with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 guidelines.

According to the lawsuit, the board in May removed a student face mask requirement and other COVID-19 mitigation measures.

The lawsuit said one of Jensen's son's classmates came to Rose Glen Elementary School with symptoms in September and didn't wear a mask.

Jensen's son was seated next to the sick student and was wearing a mask but still became infected.

Her other two sons later tested positive as well.

The lawsuit said the district threw her son and other students "...into the COVID-19 'snake pit' by its 'reckless refusal to implement reasonable COVID-19 mitigation measures.'"

The lawsuit requests Class Action status for the case, which could extend any ruling to school districts across Wisconsin.

"There are a lot of parents out there who aren't able to bring a suit within their own school district but are frustrated with their school boards listening, you know, to just the loudest people in the room, and not necessarily taking the recommendation of the experts into consideration at all," said lawyer Frederick Melms, who represents Jensen in the case.

The suit does not seek monetary damages.

School Board President Joseph Como declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC is funding the lawsuit. The brewing company is owned by Kirk Bangstad, who has aired his frustrations about how former President Donald Trump's administration responded to the pandemic.