Bookmobile barred from Wo-Zha-Wa parade because it lacked 'parade viewer appeal'
By Anna Krejci, Dells Events
The library's bookmobile was barred from entering the 2008 Wo-Zha-Wa Parade because it didn't fit into the category of "entertainment."
The exclusion of the bookmobile set off some emotions at an October Kilbourn Public Library Board meeting.
"This really bothered me. With all the stuff that's in that parade, there's no reason why the bookmobile shouldn't have been allowed," said Trustee Gisela Hamm. Hamm is also a member of the Wo-Zha-Wa Committee.
The parade's organizer, Patrick Scully, said he consulted with a Wo-Zha-Wa committee member and a past parade organizer who both backed his position.
"It just wasn't something that's entertaining," he said.
Scully said he considered other entries with clowns and animals such as horses to be amusing; a van is not, he said.
His ruling disappointed Hamm and caught other board members by surprise.
"I said what a perfect opportunity this would have been to introduce the bookmobile to people who have never seen it," Hamm said.
The library first unveiled the bookmobile in June. It carries books and other materials for check out to sites in the community such as schools, assisted living facilities and apartments.
Hamm said she couldn't see why the bookmobile couldn't be allowed in the parade next year.
Scully said the bookmobile might be permitted in the future if something was done to "spruce it up."
When asked if children walking along the bookmobile would improve its ability to entertain he said that it might.
The parade rules stipulate that a unit have "parade viewer appeal." The application form also states the following: "Commercial units used strictly for advertising of the business or service will not be allowed."
The distribution of fliers or candy from units in the parade is also prohibited.
Library director Cathy Borck said she thought the bookmobile would have been an appropriate addition to the parade.
"I think we represent the community, and the library is a community place. This (the bookmobile) is a new service we're offering the community," she said.