Ron Kautz: A man with a heart for Labor Day

Who doesn’t love a parade? Ron Kautz of Merrill certainly does, and for six decades, he has been the steady hand guiding one of the community’s most cherished traditions: the annual Merrill Labor Day Parade. But for him, this is far more than a simple procession of floats and candy. It is a vital tribute to the American worker.
With the recent conclusion of the 2026 Merrill Labor Day Parade, recognizing Ron’s involvement for the last 60 years is also a tribute to his legacy as the behind-the-scenes leadership that guides the annual event.
For Ron, the celebration has never been about fanfare or commercialism — it is about honoring the everyday working people who keep the community and the economy moving forward.
Whether someone cleans the toilets or signs orders as a corporate CEO, Labor Day exists to celebrate the working person. As Ron puts it: “If they’re working for a living, that’s what we’re working to celebrate.”

A 1967 spark and six decades of service

Ron’s involvement with the parade began in 1967 when he was elected president of his local union at Weinbrenner Shoe Company. That leadership position automatically earned him a seat on the Merrill Central Labor Council. Back then, the Central Labor Council was responsible for planning, funding, and staging the entire Labor Day celebration, Ron said.
Over the years, Ron’s role evolved into managing the intricate web of parade logistics, lineups, and staging. Even after the Central Labor Council eventually disbanded and union presidency gave way to retirement in 2006 after 38 years, Ron kept stepping up year after year to manage the parade.

The evolution of Merrill’s Labor Day traditions
The parade Ron manages today is a leaner version of the expansive Labor Day festivities of yesteryear. In the early days, the City provided a $10,000 budget, a significant sum that allowed for grander entertainment. This funding supported professional drum and bugle corps and high school bands from as far as Wisconsin Dells and Chippewa Falls coming to march in the parade, as well as a queen contest and coronation ceremony. The weekend also used to be anchored by two annual community dances, often held under massive tents or at the old Legion Lounge, featuring the polka music that once defined the region’s social life, Ron said.
In years past, the parade also included a printed souvenir booklet filled with business advertisements and Labor Day event listings. Ron was responsible for creating the book, which featured up to 300 advertisers. Chasing down those entries and coordinating the printing was a massive administrative task. However, many years ago, after a significant City of Merrill budget reduction, the dynamics of the celebration changed. Since then, the commemorative book has been eliminated, along with the dances, the queen contest, the drum and bugle corps, and the out-of-town high school bands.

The management structure has also shifted. The Central Labor Council eventually disbanded, and the oversight of the event moved to the Merrill Parks and Recreation Department.
Despite the changes, key traditions adapted. Even the Merrill City Band’s participation has evolved; as the members have aged, the physical demands of a traditional march have become too difficult, often limiting them to performing from a stationary position or a float rather than marching as they once did, if they are able to participate at all.
But the Merrill High School Marching Band continues to represent local youth in the parade, and the Lions Club stepped in with the introduction of the popular annual Labor Day Car Show at the fairgrounds after the parade. Concessions and a flea market were also included at this year’s event at the fairgrounds. And the Eagles Club had a chicken dinner this year.

Behind the scenes: logistics, permits, and staging
Modern parade planning is largely dictated by safety regulations and state requirements. Each year, the city must secure a permit from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). Because the route involves State Highways 64 and 107, WisDOT requires these thoroughfares to remain accessible for as long as possible. This regulatory necessity forced Ron to move the staging area away from the old 6th Ward side streets and Cottage Street to the current locations on State and Main Streets.

Putting a parade down some of Merrill’s main streets requires precise timing and coordination so entries don’t interfere with one another. These days, on the weekend before Labor Day, Ron receives the entry registrations sent in to Dan Wendorf at the Merrill Parks and Recreation Department and maps out the lineup on paper.
One of Ron’s key rules is spacing musical units so two sounding entries are never placed back-to-back, preventing competing audio.
On parade morning, Ron relies on a four-person volunteer crew to help pre-align parade entries, including floats, antique cars, marching units, and horses. Each one has specific duties. For instance, one crew member is specifically tasked with checking “Coggins reports” — essential veterinary medical documents proving horses are free of disease — to ensure the safety of all animals involved and prevent disease transmission.

The 1984 Mondale-Ferraro campaign visit
One of the most intense logistical challenges of Ron’s 60 years occurred in September 1984, when the Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Walter Mondale and vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro visited Merrill to participate in the Labor Day Parade.

The constant interruptions Ron encountered navigating the complex logistics and working with the Secret Service and other security details in advance of the appearance proved so disruptive at his workplace that the Weinbrenner CEO finally called Ron into the office and placed him on paid leave until after the parade so he could coordinate full-time without disrupting the factory floor.
The high-profile visit brought intense logistical demands. When campaign staff requested 42 telephone lines installed overnight at the Sell Building on the fairgrounds for a national election calling tree, the local telephone company manager initially said, “Not a chance.” The official promptly made a phone call, and the manager’s phone rang seconds later with corporate authorization, and local telephone crews worked through the night to complete the installation.
Of course, security was a huge issue, Ron said, with everyone involved with the campaign requiring special security clearance. So at one point, Ron went to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to ask about his security badge for the event. He said he was informed that he didn’t need a badge because every member of the Secret Service detail already knew what he looked like — along with everything from the rust spots on his car to where he kept his guns in his home — before he ever shook their hands.

Unforgettable parade moments: the band and the horses
Even with Ron’s careful oversight, live events are prone to chaos. He vividly recalls a past parade, the year right after the Merrill High School Marching Band had gotten brand-new uniforms. At that time, the band was staged on Cottage Street, waiting to filter into the parade route behind a specific designated unit. Unbeknownst to the band director, that unit failed to show up. Realizing late that their entry point had passed and the parade was nearly over, the band ended up marching at the very tail end of the procession — behind the horses.

Well, anyone who knows anything about live animals knows what happened next. The result was a troupe of students in pristine uniforms walking straight through “horse apples” left on the pavement because the street sweeper hadn’t yet been through to clean up. (Usually, the animals bring up the rear of the parade, followed by a street sweeper to clean up.)
“Well, this community just about crucified me because of that,” Ron said with a laugh. And while the faux pas wasn’t his fault at all, it did make for a memorable parade. And as if his own memory of the debacle wasn’t enough, Ron said local photographer Phil Ziesemer had captured a photo of Ron’s shocked reaction to the chaos at the time. Ron still has a copy of that photo tucked away someplace.

A heart for community
Raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm without indoor plumbing, television, or phones, Ron learned early on that family, hard work, and helping neighbors were what truly mattered. Throughout his life — whether serving 38 years as union president or operating his income tax business for over 40 years — he operated under a simple core principle. “To me, it’s not the money,” he said. “It’s just what can I do for someone?”
Ron has faced several health challenges over the years, including a major heart attack in 1995, stents in 2015, a defibrillator in 2020, and hand surgery just two weeks before this year’s parade. Yet his dedication to the community has never wavered.

Looking back, Ron misses some of the old-time festivities — like the queen contests, community dances, and drum corps competitions — and feels society as a whole would benefit from slowing down, setting aside electronic devices, and investing in personal relationships. Reflecting on a simpler era, Ron shared: “If someone needed help, you helped them. You didn’t ask, ‘What are you going to pay me to do this?’ You just did it.”
While a long-time crew member is prepared to step in whenever Ron decides to hand over his organizational duties, and Ron’s wife would like him to slow down more, he is still undecided on the exact timeline for when he will officially step back from organizing the parade. Right now, he’s just taking things one year at a time to honor Merrill’s working families.