Sign up now for Memorial Day parade

MIDDLETOWN — Plans for the 2019 Middletown Memorial Day Parade have begun, and groups are invited to sign up now to participate. This year the parade theme is the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings on the Normandy Beaches.

Following American campaigns in North Africa and Italy, the D-Day landings were the start of the final battles to free Europe from German control, and remove the Nazi Party from power in Germany.

After the parade, there will be a short memorial ceremony on Union Green — the South Green, where the parade committee will award trophies for outstanding march units.

Groups that wish to participate in the parade can email Ken McClellan, Adjutant, Council of Veterans of Middletown, at McClellanKA@comcast.net, or by mail to:Council of Veterans of Middletown, ATTN: Memorial Day Parade, 58 Bernie O’Rourke Drive, Middletown, CT 06457

Groups are also invited to attend the memorial service at the State Veterans Cemetery on Bow Lane at 2 p.m., hosted by the 7th District of the American Legion.

Middletown Pride event set for June 15

MIDDLETOWN — The City of Middletown recently announced the creation of the first Middletown Pride event, scheduled for Saturday, June 15.

The City of Middletown, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, and Wesleyan University are partnering together to ensure that the inaugural event will be a successful celebration of our diverse community and particularly the lives and contributions of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning residents.

The parade will begin at 2 p.m. in Middletown, Connecticut on Main Street at St. John’s Square and will proceed down Main Street to Union Street. A festival will take place on the South Green immediately following the conclusion of the parade.

Middletown is inviting interested participants from local community groups, businesses, and individuals. Contact the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce for information on sponsoring the event, joining in the parade, being a merchandise and/or food vendor, or overseeing an informational booth. The Chamber can be reached by phone at 860-347-6924 or by email at haley@middlesexchamber.com.

Rockfall Foundation grant recipients

MIDDLEFIELD — Continuing its philanthropic tradition, The Rockfall Foundation has awarded $33,750 in grant money to 10 nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and schools in the Lower Connecticut River Valley. The annual Environmental Grants Program aims to preserve and enhance the environment in the Lower Connecticut River Valley and to increase public knowledge of and respect for its natural resources. The 2019 grant recipients include five educational programs targeted at children and adults, three organic community gardens, and projects for amphibian conservation and greenscaping. These projects provide services in Middlefield, Durham, Chester, Deep River, Middletown, Westbrook, and across the Connecticut River watershed. Cumulatively, The Rockfall Foundation has awarded over a half million dollars since the inception of its grant program.

Recipients for 2019: Coginchaug Area Transition Giving Garden working group for the “Giving Garden of Durham-Middlefield”, Connecticut Audubon Society for the “Science in Nature Education Program for Chester and Deep River Elementary Schools”, Connecticut Forest and Park Association for its ”Highlawn Forest Vernal Pool Education Boardwalk”, Indian Hill Cemetery for ”A Celebration of the Trees of Indian Hill Cemetery”, Macdonough Elementary School for “Macdonough Gets Into Nature”, Middlesex Community College Foundation for its “Organic Garden Student Internship”, Mystic Aquarium for “Amphibian Conservation through Community Stewardship”, The North End Action Team for the “Ferry Street Community Garden Initiative”, Town of Westbrook for its “Sustainable Practices Education and Demonstration in a Parking Lot Project”, and Valley Shore YMCA for its “Farm to Table Camp”.

For additional information about The Rockfall Foundation and the Environmental Grants Program, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.rockfallfoundation.org or call 860-347-0340.

Special Olympics awards dinner

HAMDEN — Special Olympics Connecticut will host its 1st Annual Awards Dinner — Celebrating Our Game Changers (formerly known as the Hall of Fame Dinner) to celebrate its outstanding athletes, volunteers and sponsors and 50 years of Special Olympics. The event will take place at the Aqua Turf Club Thursday. Learn more at soct.org, email specialolympicsct@soct.org or call 203-230-1201.

Registration begins at 5 p.m., and the program begins at 6 p.m. Renee DiNino from iHeart Radio Connecticut and Ryan Hanrahan from NBC Connecticut will serve as emcees. The Awards Dinner is made possible through the generosity of the Bozzuto and Calvanese families. This year’s awards and award recipients include:

Hall of Fame Awards: Community Leadership Award — WWE of Stamford; Lew Perkins Coach Award — Francis LaPointe of Griswold; Sheila Schmidt Award — Nancy Hemingway of Manchester; Bozzuto Family Award — The Violano Family of Hamden; Susan Saint James Award — Dr. Craig Edmondson of Sandy Hook; Eunice Kennedy Shriver Award — Justin Mazza of Windsor Locks; Eunice Murtha Award — The Elmore Family of Arizona; Outstanding Local Program Award: Special Olympics Windsor Locks — Mary Jane Hussey, Local Coordinator.

Spirit of Life Awards: Jen Carlson of Marlborough; Jonathan Foster of Bethel; Danny Kenny of Trumbull; Destiny Little of New Britain; Kim Masiello of Oxford; Agostinho Portelinha of Wolcott; Eleni Prtyko of Bristol; Gianel Rosario of Torrington.

Unsung Hero Awards: Lt. Tim Bernier of the Guilford Police Department; Gary Ciccone (posthumously), Greenwich; Julie Esposito of Bozzuto’s, Cheshire; Jeff Gill of Hamden; Jenn Hess of Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket; Stephen Longo of Norwalk; Suzanne Powaluk of Eversource, Newington; Robin Sorey of East Haddam