2025 Maple Leaf Parade Marshal –
Andy Brannon

Maple Leaf Parade Marshal Andy Brannon

Article by Brad Quarberg, 2016 Maple Leaf Parade Marshal

A longtime community servant who helped shepherd construction of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the establishment of Rotary Lights is this year’s Maple Leaf Parade Marshal.

Brannon thought a May lunch meeting with a friend was to help the friend’s family work on their cemetery monument. But instead, the former Tri-State Monument Co. owner was met by the friend and some former parade marshals asking Brannon if he would like to be this year’s Maple Leaf Parade Marshal. His first reaction was surprise, followed by a deep sense of honor.

“I feel more than honored, I feel blessed and grateful,” Brannon says. “I’m blessed to be a part of Oktoberfest, La Crosse and the Coulee Region. I’m grateful to have been presented with so many opportunities to serve the community over the past 33 years, volunteering side-by-side with so many others who also could have been selected as the Maple Leaf Parade Marshal.”

Brannon and his wife, Debbie, aren’t new to Oktoberfest. They were members of the Oktoberfest Grenadier Corps from 2000-03. Since, they have continued to escort past Fest Family members to the Festmaster’s Ball, parades, and other Oktoberfest activities. They have attended the fest, volunteered selling tickets for the La Crosse Area German Relations

Association and marched in the parade with the Rotary Lights float. This year, the experience will be different.

“It will be fun to see it from the Royal Family’s point of view,” Brannon says.

He’s especially looking forward to riding in the Maple Leaf Parade coming over the Copeland Avenue viaduct.

“Looking toward downtown and seeing so many people lining the parade route is always a thrill,” he says. “Most of all, it will be fun to watch so many people celebrating together – old friends and family who come back to La Crosse to reconnect.”

Brannon started his career in his native Iowa as an audit manager at a private accounting firm before moving to La Crosse 33 years ago to purchase Tri-State Monument Co. The company designs, produces and installs cemetery memorials and other signage. After 11 years and selling the business, Brannon began decades of service in Catholic institutions.

He joined the initial employee team of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, helping it grow from a start-up phase to a nationally known pilgrimage destination. Currently, he’s the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, where he oversees diocesan finances and operations.

Brannon has served on a variety of La Crosse non-profit organizations. He was a board member with the Coulee Council on Additions when it voted to build the Recovery Center. He was also a member of La Crosse Rotary East when the civic organization started Rotary Lights.

Brannon served as the event’s initial treasurer from 1995-2003, spending many nights in a trailer counting contributions from those going through the park. He fondly recalls turning the park’s lights off to close the daily display.

“At the end of the night, walking alone through the park to turn off all of the lights was one of the most privileged things I have had the opportunity to do,” he says. “Each night, I would turn off the big tree and say, ‘Good night, La Crosse.’ The volunteers in those early days helped set the foundation for one of La Crosse’s most cherished Christmas traditions.”

Brannon’s button for festgoers includes traditional Oktoberfest images, along with symbols of his life. Four black, red and gold banners representing the German flag colors include symbols for religion, work and a pretzel, an Oktoberfest German tradition of friendship and unity. A string of Christmas lights reflects his service to Rotary Lights, with the six bulbs representing the Brannon family.

Meet the 2025 Maple Leaf Parade Marshal Andy Brannon

Spouse: Debbie Brannon

Family: Four children, Elizabeth; twins Matthew and Maria; Patrick

Education: Wahlert Catholic High School, Dubuque, Iowa; bachelor’s in accounting from University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls

Current occupation: Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester; previously Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Tri-State Monument Co. owner

Volunteer work: Oktoberfest Grenadier Corps; Rotary Lights Board of Directors; La Crosse Mardi Gras; La Crosse Loggers host family; Meals on Wheels, Explore La Crosse Steamboat Task Force; Rotary East; La Crosse German Relations Association; Coulee Council on Addictions; Knights of Columbus; La Crosse Vocations Club

The symbolism in Brannon’s button

• The Fest logo represents Oktoberfest and the maple leaves represent serving as Maple Leaf Parade Marshal.
• The four banners – The black, red and gold colors of the four banners represent the colors of the German flag, the heritage drawn from in celebrating Oktoberfest:
• The cross symbolizes the Catholic faith of his family and the entities he’s worked for (Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Diocese of Winona-Rochester).
• CPA – represents the professional certification from his time in public accounting. • Pretzel – In German Oktoberfest traditions, the pretzel symbolizes friendship and unity. The intertwined loops of the pretzel represent the bonds of community and are a quintessential part of German hospitality, particularly in Bavaria which he visited several times in college.
• CDFM – Certified Diocesan Fiscal Manager, a professional certification he attained in service to a Catholic Diocese.
• The string of Christmas tree lights represents his service to Rotary Lights. The six bulbs on the string represent himself, his wife and their four children.

Former Maple Leaf Parade Marshals