Tripoli’s parade units bring personality, music, tradition, and public visibility to the road.
Parade units are one of the most recognizable expressions of Tripoli Shriners. They carry the fraternity into communities across Wisconsin and beyond, combining fellowship with performance, movement, ceremony, humor, and hospitality. Each unit has its own style, history, and member culture, but together they give Tripoli a public identity that is energetic, memorable, and distinctly its own.
A colorful character unit with roots going back to the 1960s.
A musical tradition serving parades, ceremonials, and public events.
Highly visible ambassadors bringing delight to children and families.
Scottish music, tartan tradition, and public presence.
A pirate-themed character unit built around family fun and service.
Every parade unit, in one place.
These groups show the range of Tripoli’s public presence, from music and vintage vehicles to comedy, horsemanship, ceremonial dignity, and themed character appearances.
A long-running character unit with family-friendly appeal.
The Animals unit dates to the mid-1960s and has become one of the most distinctive public-facing groups associated with Tripoli Shriners.
Character units like this help make parades memorable, especially for children and families, while also building strong camaraderie among members.
Contacts: Ron Gustafson, Bob Ferguson, Aaron Ferguson, Nathan Devermann
Classic vehicles, mechanical pride, and year-round fellowship.
Chartered in 1978, the Antique Auto unit brings vintage automotive style to the road and adds a nostalgic visual presence to public appearances.
The unit’s activity reflects a mix of parade participation, touring tradition, and fellowship built around a shared appreciation for historic vehicles.
Contact: Andy Pachefsky, 414-687-7646
What it adds
Antique Auto gives Tripoli visual variety and connects craftsmanship, hobby culture, and public representation in one unit.
Band
Organized in 1915, the Tripoli Band reflects one of the older and more tradition-rich strands of the shrine’s public life.
Contact: Mark Pachefski, 414-336-6053
Music that carries the spirit of the shrine in public.
The Band serves in parades, ceremonials, concerts, and public performances, giving Tripoli a musical identity that reaches beyond simple appearance.
A unit like this helps anchor the sound, pace, and ceremonial energy of the organization’s public presence.
One of the most visible ways Tripoli connects with children and families.
Recognized in 1958, the Clowns unit is closely associated with delight, humor, and public warmth.
Their role in parades, circuses, appearances, and family-centered settings makes them one of the clearest bridges between public fun and the charitable spirit people often associate with the Shriners.
Contact: Jerry Hersh, 414-351-4659
Scottish music, tartan tradition, and ceremonial presence.
Chartered in the 1970s, the Highlanders bring a distinctive sound and visual identity to the parade route.
Their public role connects musical discipline, formal appearance, and a longstanding tradition of performance, including the well-known Tartan Ball.
Contact: Shawn Athy, 414-304-5192
Comedy, character, and a lighter side of public fraternity.
The Hillbillies add humor and personality to Tripoli’s parade life, creating a more playful and approachable public face.
Units like this matter because they make the organization feel lively and human, not distant or purely ceremonial.
Contact: Joe Scites, 414-281-1905
Public role
Hillbillies help round out the personality of the parade lineup with charm, humor, and easy crowd connection.
A pirate-themed unit built around fun, family energy, and visibility.
The Jolly Badgers are one of Tripoli’s more distinctive themed groups, bringing character performance and a strong family spirit to appearances throughout the year.
They help show that Tripoli’s public identity includes imagination and joy alongside tradition.
Open the full Jolly Badgers unit page to watch the unit video and explore the group in more detail.
Contact: Curt Campagna, 414-698-8874
A ceremonial and veteran-centered presence within the parade tradition.
The Legion of Honor carries a different tone than some of the more playful units, emphasizing dignity, ceremony, and public respect.
Its presence helps balance the wider parade lineup by representing solemnity, continuity, and honor alongside the more lighthearted groups.
Contact: Tom Cole, 262-786-9509
Why it matters
This unit reinforces the seriousness and depth of the fraternity’s ceremonial side in public settings.
Long Riders
The Long Riders bring a mounted presence that immediately sets them apart within the parade tradition.
Contact: Art Karos, 414-628-8990
Mounted tradition with strong visual distinction.
Horse-mounted units add motion, discipline, and a distinctly memorable silhouette to public appearances.
The Long Riders contribute a classic parade presence that reflects skill, coordination, and a style of representation few organizations can offer.
Precision, motion, and a signature parade spectacle.
The Motor Corps helps define the mechanical side of Tripoli’s parade presence through disciplined movement, coordinated driving, and high-visibility performance.
It is one of the units most associated with public spectacle, and it helps give Tripoli’s appearances a sense of motion and technical energy.
Contact: Sean Schult, 662-626-7326
Role in the lineup
The Motor Corps adds precision and excitement to parades while strengthening Tripoli’s public identity.