Oconomowoc Halloween Parade 2016

Featuring The Tooth Ferry (get it?!) 

Another year, another Halloween parade in O-town, repping my dear friend Dr. Jahnke (Fritz) and Jahnke Dental. Last year, Fritz turned the tailgate of her mom’s SUV into a gaping mouth — and even won $20 from the parade committee for best float. This year, Jahnke Dental took it up a notch with three little words: The Tooth Ferry. 

Adam donned the tooth costume like a total champ. Given the placement of the armholes, he had to keep his arms raised and waving, otherwise the tooth’s grin collapsed into frown. After an hour spent snaking through downtown Oconomowoc riding The Tooth Ferry, Adam’s shoulders weren’t exactly happy — but the kids were!

I got to wear the smile costume; Blythe, the tube of toothpaste. The rest of the crew wore sailor hats to fit the Tooth Ferry theme. We handed out 2,000 toothbrushes to kids and parents. The kids gleefully grasped for the neon brushes, and parents laughed and thanked us as we preached, “Happy Halloween! Don’t forget to brush!” 

When we finally reached the packed Main Street and home stretch of the parade route, we (sadly) quickly ran out of toothbrushes. Even 2,000 wasn’t enough for the huge crowds. So to entertain the masses, we handed out high-fives and Dr. Jahnke brushed the kids’ teeth with a jumbo tooth brush. They were big fans! 

At one point, Fritz even pretended to brush me in my smile costume, while I did a silly dance. Smile costumes make you do crazy things. At that moment, a smart aleck kid of about 12 looked at me and dryly said, “The dancing isn’t helping.” I was so taken aback, the only retort I could muster was to stick my tongue out at him like a real mature adult. That stunned the whippersnapper into silence — then he smirked as if to say “didn’t see that coming.” Touché me. 

While I found myself getting picked on by a kid, Dr. Jahnke was building more positive relationships with the O-town community. At one point, a lady urgently gestured her over, saying she really hoped we still had toothbrushes since she missed out on getting one at the last parade. “We always love seeing you every year!” she said. Yes on this, Jahnke’s Dental’s second year in the Oconomowoc Halloween Parade, they’re already a community favorite that feels like they’ve been around forever. Hope to see you next year, O-town!  

P.S. Follow Jahnke Dental on Facebook — Fritz rocks at toothy humor!