In 1958, Santa bounced off the float on Oak Street in Neenah. Afterward the firefighters cut the platform he rode on by 10 feet. The float has been changing to fit Neenah ever since. Firefighters rebuilt it from a retired ladder truck, switched to every other street as the city grew, and added a GPS tracker. This December, the Oak Street corner is where the Dec. 7 route starts, and whether that route runs as posted depends on paving crews a few blocks away.
Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue has posted its 2026 schedule. Santa visits Neenah and Menasha from Nov. 30 through Dec. 11. The Dec. 7 Neenah listing has a note in bold asking people to watch the department's Facebook page and website for changes, "as it's dependent upon construction being completed by the old Shattuck Middle School area."
The Streets the Float Is Waiting On
The construction in that note is the city's rebuild of Elm Street from Division to Cecil, Reed Street from Washington to Cecil, and Laudan Boulevard from Reed to Congress. The 2026 work covers new water mains, sanitary sewer and laterals, storm sewer, street base and asphalt, curbs, sidewalks, driveways and terrace restoration. The contractor is De Groot Inc.
These streets surround the former school property at 600 Elm St. According to The Post-Crescent, the utility work there had been planned for 2023. It was pushed back because nobody yet knew what would happen to the 26-acre site. The 2026 city budget set aside $5.9 million for the street and utility work, and the street portion was scheduled to finish by November.
That November deadline is this week. The Department of Public Works' latest schedule has the contractor paving Elm, Reed and Laudan the week of Nov. 2. During the week of Nov. 9 through 13, the contractor is scheduled to finish paving all three streets and remove traffic control. The city says the schedule could change with weather and site conditions. For questions about the project, Public Works is at 920-886-6240.
Two other city projects reached their finish lines on the same schedule. Henry Street from Douglas to Monroe and Winneconne Avenue from the railroad overpass to Henry Street are both listed as complete for the week of Nov. 9.
What Else Is Changing on the Old School Grounds
The streets are the part of the Shattuck redevelopment that affects Santa, but the whole property is in the middle of a change.
South of Laudan Boulevard, the city is digging a $1.3 million regional stormwater pond and plans to pave and maintain a walking path around it. In the Post-Crescent report, Public Works Director Gerry Kaiser described it as "the first pond we have in the city that impacts our requirements for the Fox River watershed." Neenah's other city-owned ponds empty into the Neenah Slough watershed, and this one drains to the Fox River.
The land just north and south of Laudan has been platted as Courtside Fields, a single-family subdivision. The Post-Crescent reported that the old bleachers, fences and track were being cleared to get the lots ready for building.
The school building has a different future. Finance & Commerce reported in June that property owner Umer Sheikh of Investment Creations LLC donated the building to Fox Valley Community Learning Center, which Colleen Bies and Fanni Xie founded. The plans include computer classes for seniors, Chinese-language classes for children, business workshops and community arts. Spiketown USA, a club volleyball program, and New Springs Christian Academy kept their leases in the building.
Ten Nights, Two Cities
The float runs ten nights in late November and early December. It starts with three Menasha nights and a shared night on Doty Island, then spends the rest on Neenah's neighborhoods:
| Date | City | Route as posted |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Menasha | Lake Park Rd./Villa Way to Racine Rd./Olde Midway Rd. |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Menasha | 1st Street fire station to Racine St./3rd St. |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Menasha | 1st Street/Racine St. to Manitowoc/Harold |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Doty Island, Menasha and Neenah | 1st/Racine Streets to Keyes/Naymut, starting at 5:45 p.m. after a stop at Menasha Park & Recreation's Gather Round event |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Neenah | Harrison St./Main St. to Lake/Main St. |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | Neenah | Begins at E. Wisconsin Ave./Oak St., with Villa/South Park also listed; depends on the Shattuck-area construction |
| Tue., Dec. 8 | Neenah | Starts with a stop at Children's Hospital/Theda Clark, then Commercial/Mead Street to Kensington/O'Leary |
| Wed., Dec. 9 | Neenah | W. Bell St./Brooks Ave. to Collins St./W. Bell St. |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Neenah | Tullar/Breezewood Ln. to Tullar Rd./Fredrick Dr. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Neenah | Mulberry Ln./Breezewood Ln. to Baytree Ln./Breezewood Ln. |
Each night has a map linked on the route page. The department posts that night's map and a link to the Santa tracker every evening, and it says last-minute route changes will go out on its Facebook page.
The department has also asked for two things. The float can't stop for people bringing Santa treats, because it isn't safe for people to walk up to it. If people chase it in cars or try to jump on, the firefighters will end the route for the night.
A Float That Has Always Been Rebuilt Around the City
The Dec. 7 route is only the latest time the float has had to adjust to a changing city. According to the department's Santa Float history, Fire Chief John Zick came up with the idea in 1950 as a gift to local children. Mrs. Zick made the first Santa suit, and Fred Kampo of Kampo Transit Co. supplied a flatbed trailer and a driver. Since then the float has changed many times:
- 1954: Neenah retired its 1922 American La France ladder truck, the city's first motorized hook and ladder, and turned it into the float. Children got popcorn balls.
- 1962: The old ladder truck was rebuilt as a trailer, and a donated 1952 Ford known as "Truck 6" pulled it.
- 1990: Firefighters drove to Wild Rose to bring back live trees for the float. When it snowed they put chains on Truck 6's tires.
- 1996: Steenberg Homes donated a trailer house to serve as the new base. Redi Weld in the Town of Menasha reinforced it, and Krueger's True Value donated the deck materials.
- 1997: The float started covering every other street to keep up with the city's growth.
- 2003: The Neenah and Menasha fire departments merged into Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue. Neenah's float stayed the Santa Float, and Menasha's became the Independence Day float.
- 2019: Santa's GPS tracker was added.
- 2023: A new float was built.
Because of the every-other-street policy, the float doesn't pass every house. The nightly maps show exactly which blocks it will cover.
WHBY reported that the 2023 float was paid for with donations from local businesses and the annual Neenah Mayor's Charity Run/Walk. The float still runs the way it has for decades. Off-duty firefighters from Local 275 volunteer to staff it, and donations to the Neenah-Menasha Firefighter's Local 275 Charitable Foundation, local businesses and residents cover the costs.
The Downtown Nights Around the Float
The busiest Santa night is Friday, Dec. 4. That evening the float runs its Neenah route from Harrison and Main to Lake and Main, and A Very Neenah Christmas fills downtown from 5 to 8 p.m. Future Neenah's event page lists live mannequin windows, Santa, reindeer, carolers and ice sculptures. Admission is free, and Community First Credit Union is the presenting sponsor.
The Christmas Market opens that night as well and runs Dec. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m., Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It features the Galloway Christmas Village, vendor huts, carriage rides and a carousel. Galloway Company is the presenting sponsor, and Neenah Rotary provides volunteers. On Saturday morning, Dec. 5, Peace Lutheran Church at 1228 S. Park Ave. holds its free Timeless Treasures Christmas Bazaar from 8 a.m. to noon, with baked goods, take-and-heat soups and a shopping room just for kids.
Several events come before the float. Future Neenah's Preholiday Shop & Stroll is today, Thursday, Nov. 12, from 3 to 7 p.m. downtown. Tickets are $15, or 2 for $27.50, and include a holiday tote, a $10 downtown gift certificate and snacks at each stop. This year's new feature is "Win Your Wish List." On Saturday, Nov. 14, Neenah Public Library at 240 E. Wisconsin Ave. holds a free, all-ages wreath ornament craft in the Shattuck Room from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Neenah Animal Shelter's online holiday auction runs Nov. 15 through 19. A pop-up shop follows on Nov. 21 at Marketplace, 124 W. Wisconsin Ave., selling Christmas décor and shelter apparel.
On cold afternoons between those dates, the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass has Sibylle Peretti's "Before it Turns to Gold," which opened Oct. 23 and runs through March 14, 2027. William Manson's "Shatter The Ordinary" runs through Feb. 7, 2027. "Our Time to Shine: Recent Acquisitions" closes Dec. 31.
If paving wraps up as scheduled this week, the Dec. 7 float should start on Oak Street, where Santa fell off the platform in 1958. Check the Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue Facebook page that afternoon to confirm the route.
At C21 Ace, we follow changes like the Elm, Reed and Laudan rebuild because they affect how people get around Neenah, Santa included. If you have questions about the Shattuck area or what's coming to your part of the Fox Cities, contact us. We're happy to talk it through.
