Some area towns to hold Memorial Day parades
A handful of local communities plan to hold Memorial Day parades to honor the nation’s fallen soldiers, but some area communities are putting parades on hold for a second year, opting instead for ceremonies that can be live streamed.
James “Chic” Tortora, chairman of the Shelton/ Derby parade — a popular one that draws thousands — said the parade will happen May 31, rain or shine and no matter how many marchers they have in the line up.
He said he expects by then many more attendees will be vaccinated and the virus numbers will be down.
So far, the parade has about 40 marching units, a slower start than usual, although he’s looking for more: in the 2019 parade, there were 80 units.
He said some organizations aren’t participating because of COVID-19 concerns and said high school bands often haven’t had the ability to practice together this year. But that won’t stop the event.
“The parade will go on with whatever we have — we’re on the move,” Tortora said. “Our mission is to honor those who gave up their lives for us.”
Those interested in joining the parade can email him at chicfm126@aol.com.
Trumbull town officials are taking a “wait-and-see” approach to a potential Memorial Day commemoration this year. Event organizer Kathleen McGannon said she is proceeding with plans for a parade and also for an alternative outdoor event, possibly at Indian Ledge Park.
“That’s my job today, reaching out to all the groups to see who’s interested in marching,” McGannon said Monday.
If the town holds a parade it would be at its traditional 10 a.m. time slot on Memorial Day, May 31.
First Selectman Vicki Tesoro said last week that Gov. Ned Lamont’s comments that graduations and parades would be allowed this year, plus the state’s progress in distributing COVID-19 vaccinations, had her optimistic that a traditional parade of some kind would be possible. But the logistics of planning such an event on a compressed timetable remained a challenge, she said.
“In either case, we will do a ceremony for the veterans on the morning of the 31st at the Veterans Memorial and at Town Hall,” she said.
But even with the green light from Lamont, challenges remain. To name a few: Parade participants and viewers would still have to abide social distancing and mask requirements; school bands haven’t performed in a year, and many have not even had full practices in months; other school groups, looking forward to an in-person graduation might not want to take any chances on large-scale events just a few weeks before the end of school; regional groups like fife and drum corps that march in multiple parades each year may not be willing to travel from town to town.
McGannon, who has been in regular contact with Memorial Day committees in neighboring towns, said the towns that do hold parades may find that they are smaller and more locally focused than in years past.
Monroe First Selectman Ken Kellogg has also announced that Monroe will hold a parade May 30, but offered few other details.
In Ansonia and Milford, the parades are canceled again this year. Instead, other events are planned to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country.
Milford is opting out, in part, because its parade committee chairman said there is “conflicting” information from the state, despite Gov. Ned Lamont giving parades the green light.
“The Covid-19 trend is currently going in the wrong direction,” Tom Flowers, chairman of Milford’s Veterans Ceremonies and Parade Commission, wrote in an email to Milford Mayor Ben Blake. “We are limited to 500 people for outdoor municipal events and a traditional parade would far exceed that number.”
“We’ve been on the fence for a while,” Flowers said. At this point, he said, there’s not enough time to organize a parade, as it takes at least two months.
Milford is planning to hold a live streamed ceremony at 1 p.m. followed by a concert at 2 p.m. More details will follow in coming weeks.
“Unfortunately with the optic in the pandemic in our area, we cannot ensure a safe atmosphere for a parade system,” said Rich DiCarlo, Ansonia events coordinator and chairman of the parade. “It involves a mass assembly of the participants in a small area that would far exceed current restrictions set forth by the state at the setup. This process usually takes a couple of hours.”