Wintry parades, caroling parties, and other cheery gatherings have been holiday traditions for generations of Chippewa Valley children and adults. Just before Christmas in 1964, families gathered in downtown Eau Claire’s Wilson Park to sing carols at a Nativity display. According to a contemporary newspaper account, “The Eau Claire Boys Drum and Bugle Corps will serve as color guard and various church members will be torchlight bearers.”