Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Thousands turn out for Memorial Day parade
Community members pay tribute to those who died for their country
KENNETT SQUARE >> People know by now that if they’re looking for a parade extravaganza, all they have to do is go to Kennett Square.
And true to the legend, thousands showed up early and in great numbers to line the sidewalks and watch what Chairman Bill Taylor had put together this year.
Recall that in 2016 the parade was called off because of predictions of rain, and this year the forecast seemed a little iffy. But when 10 a.m. came, the clouds hovered and some mist was spitting, but not enough to deter those who came with spirit and enthusiasm.
Earlier in the day, there had been two Memorial Day ceremonies by the VFW at local monuments in memory of fallen service individuals, and after the parade marched through town, there was another at the Union Hill Cemetery. But for the thousands who lined the sidewalks of the borough, the parade was the main attraction.
Even before the marchers stepped off down by the high school, patriotic music was blaring on State Street. The audience got in the spirit waving their flags and singing along.
The first group up the street was a Boy Scout Troop giving out flags, and then an honor guard marched by with Scouts bearing the sign, “The flag is coming. Please stand up and remove your hat.”
There was plenty of reverence and respect shown to the flag and to the grand marshals as they arrived in convertibles. They were veterans Tom Nale, Mario Larenzut, and from last year’s cancelled parade Ralph D. Doss and Raymond Natale Sr. Many people yelled “thank you” to them as they went by.
After that serious begin-
ning, a wide variety of parade participants pleased the spectators.
Among others, Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh joined her friends Eileen Law and Lora Rosencrans as the 1940s era trio Andrew Sisters.
Arriving from Philadelphia was the Mummers Ferko String Band, doing their famous strut and urging the viewers to do the same.
Plenty of re-enactors from the Revolutionary War and afterward gave the parade a glimpse of the past, and many of them startled with actual shooting of muskets. There was also a tractor line.
A group of karate instructors and students received a lot of oohs and aahs, as the masters performed fancy acrobatics and feats of strength on State Street.
Likewise, alumni from Kennett and Unionville high schools cheered as their bands came through. Kennett added to the scholastic spirit with its alumni band.
The usual fire trucks came through, but just as Hood’s Barbecue was rolling through town, the local fire whistles blew for real, and the Kennett trucks had to take off with lights and sirens blaring.
In spite of the distraction, the Hood’s Barbecue chicken people moved out of the way for the trucks, and announcers Nick Perigo and Doug Stirling told the crowd, “Looks like they got a call.”
As the parade concluded, Stirling said what many had been thinking, “Bill Taylor did a great job.”