Community upholds tradition and the parade will go on in North Smithfield

Smaller but patriotic ‘People’s Parade’ to be held Memorial Day

NORTH SMITHFIELD — Though VFW Post 6342 has been dealing recently with construction on its building and with a decline in active membership, North Smithfield residents dedicated to tradition feel determined that the parade must go on.

Last week, Town Administrator Gary Ezovski announced that the parade wouldn't be happening this year, a decision from the VFW. But amid an outcry, town residents banded together to plan a smaller “People's Parade.”

“It is nowhere near what the parades have been in the past, simply because there's no time to coordinate that,” stressed Christian de Rezendes, “so this is really a showing of public support.”

Those who want to participate in the parade should meet in the parking lot of Brigido's Fresh Market, in Slatersville Plaza, at 9 a.m. on Memorial Day, and attendees are asked to wear red, white and blue.

The parade will kick off at 9:30 and travel down North Main Street to Town Hall, where the VFWwill hold a ceremony at 10 a.m. There will then be a flag replacement ceremony at Slatersville Common.

According to Farrell McMillan, former VFW post commander and an organizer of the People's Parade, one of the reasons for the parade's initial cancellation is that the Leclair-Kozlik VFW Post, where the parade typically ends, is under construction.

Lindy's Tavern is expanding its business to the VFW post, and though the VFW will no longer own the building, it will remain at the location as a secondary tenant, Ezovski said.

“The VFW had indicated to us two weeks before that the transaction of their

building made it such that they wouldn't be able to handle a parade this year, and I just kind of went with that,” Ezovski said this week.

McMillan said a second reason for the parade's cancellation is dwindling active membership.

“I'm a Vietnam vet, and a lot of our active members were World War II and Korea vets and they passed on,” he said, “and we didn't have a lot of active members to put together the parade.”

McMillan noted there are only five active members in the post. He welcomed the effort to plan a scaled-back parade on the basis that it preserves town tradition and honors veterans.

According to McMillan, the North Smithfield Fire Department said it can drive in the parade, and Ezovski is reaching out to the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts to see if they will march in the parade.

But due to the last-minute nature of the parade planning, the extent of participation may not be clear until the parade or in the few days prior.

The goal of the parade is to garner help for planning a larger parade next year, a return to tradition.

“We need a very strong town veteran parade committee to make sure this doesn't happen again next year,” McMillan said.