Troy Flag Day Parade celebrates 50 years
Annual celebration returns Sunday afternoon
TROY, N.Y. » The Troy Flag Day Parade will celebrate its 50th anniversary when it steps off at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Nearly 60 area organizations will take to the streets for what has been considered among the nation’s largest celebration of the flag. Marchers will enter the staging area at the intersection of 1st, 4th and Main streets in South Troy, lining up along East Industrial Parkway, with participants asked to report no later than noon.
The parade will proceed along 4th Street north from its intersection with 1st and Main streets north to Federal Street, with a reviewing stand set up outside Franklin Plaza. The parade announcer will be Bill Parker, and the National Anthem will be sung by Barbara Verdile.
The march will be led by city police and Rensselaer County sheriff’s deputies, followed by the parade organizing committee, including president Jerry Weaver, vice president Dan Danahy, secretary Cindy Bizaro-Wilson, treasurer Bill Parker, trustees Nora Dwyer, Donna Ned and Jason Schofield and members Mark Christensen, Carole Weaver, Elaine Grimm, Susan Dwyer, Pat Renna and T.J. Kennedy. After a host of participating federal, state, county and city officials, grand marshal Robert St. John Sr. will be escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders, followed by the family of the late Joseph Killeen, a longtime parade organizer who died last year and to whom this year’s event is dedicated.
Following marchers will be stilt walker Sean Fagan, Luke McNamee and the Uncle Sam-OPhone, Freckles the Clown and Vanilla Swirl the Clown.
The rest of the parade will line up as follows:
Military Division
(assemble at Main and South River streets)
1. Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association of New York Chapter 19-1
2. Gallerie family’s Freedom Express
3. Red Caps Marching Band 4. New York Army National Guard 5. 206th Military Police Company 6. Air National Guard 109th Airlift Wing
7. The Fiesta Band
8. Albany and Troy detachments of the Marine Corps League with the Hudson Mohawk Young Marines Unit
Veterans Division
(assembles at Main and South River streets)
9. Uncle Sam Chorus
10. Veterans of Lansingburgh 11. Rensselaer County Veterans Service Agency
12. Van Rensselaer Manor Nursing Home
13. Seabee Veterans of America Island X-10
14. Van Rensselaer chapter Daughters of the American Revolution
Public Safety Division
15. City of Albany Pipe Band 16. Troy firefighters
17. Troy Police Department 18. Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office
First Division
19. Polish American String Band with Philadelphia Mummers
20. Polish American Club 21. Capital District Marching Band
22. Emerald Athletic Club 23. Brass-O-Mania
24. Troy Elks Lodge No. 141 25. Troy High School Marching Band
26. Troy High School varsity football team
27. Italian Community Center
28. I Heart Media
29. Trojan High Steppers 30. Uncle Sam Celebration Committee
31. Miss Uncle Sam Pageant float
32. 2016 Uncle Sam Citizen of the Year (Nora Dwyer) 33. Al Bruno
34. Franklin Hospitality 1940 Packard Limousine 35. Derick (Elvis) DeFreest 36. Jack Byrne Ford
37. Village Volunteers Fife and Drum Corps
38. Capital District Education Opportunity Center 39. Excelsior Drum and Bugle Corps
40. Wynantskill Fire Department
41. Troy Boys and Girls Club 42. Rensselaer County Dairy Princess Committee
43. Avant Garde Alumni Drumline
44. RPI Ambulance
45. Girl Scout Troop 1165 46. Connecticut Hurricanes Drum and Bugle Corps 47. Capital District Men’s Roller Derby
48. CYO Dance Team 49. Troy Prep charter school
50. 20th Century Limited Drum and Bugle Corps 51. Pai’s Tae Kwon Do 52. Marksmen Drum and Bugle Corps
53. Troy Central Little League
54. LaSalle Institute
55. Mohonasen High School Marching Band
56. Melrose Fire Department
57. I Heart Media