MEMORIAL DAY PARADE PLANNED TO RETURN
100th anniversary makes event a ‘big deal’ to organizers
Plans are in the works to bring back the Royal Oak Memorial Day Parade in the downtown at the end of May.
The parade was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the last such event along Main Street was in 2019.
“Until we hear otherwise, we are planning a live event and the traditional parade along the same route” as in the past, said David London, chair of the city Veterans Event Committee. “It’s a big deal because this year is the 100th anniversary of the city and the 100th anniversary of the parade.”
A permit for the parade was filed this week.
Organizers will follow whatever state and federal recommendations for safe social distancing are in place at the time of the parade, which is expected to be somewhat smaller than in preceding years.
London, who served with the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, is a far more recent veteran than the grand marshal for this year’s parade — Royal Oak resident Cliff Alvira, 95, a World War II veteran who was among those who landed on the beach at Normandy.
Alvira was supposed to be the grand marshal for last year’s parade before it was called off.
“At the time he told me, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be around for next year’s parade,’” said Judy Davids, city community engagement specialist and a member of the VEC.
There will be fewer people marching in this year’s parade to meet social distancing requirements.
Among the floats in this year’s event will be one from the Detroit Parade Co. for veterans and contingents of Rosie the Riveters. Women who worked in factories and shipyards producing everything from munitions to airplanes and supplies during WWII came to be known as Rosie the Riveters following the iconic ad promotion campaign during the war years.
Historic planes are also part of the planned events.
“The Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum will do a fly over of the parade in classic planes that were flown by the original Tuskegee airmen,” London said.
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of chiefly Black pilots and airmen who fought in World War II.
VEC organizers are still working out details of how to keep social distancing in place for spectators at the upcoming parade May 31.
One idea is to segment the number of people allowed in front of each building along Main Street with a certain number of people. That plan would require attendees to make reservations through an app, or by having city work
ers tape off the spaces in front of each storefront business limiting the number of people allowed, London said.
“We want to make sure people attending the event adhere to the rules set by the state and the Centers for Disease Control,” London said.
Davids said the VEC surveyed people from past Memorial Day Parades in January to determine how comfortable they would be in taking part in this year’s parade.
“Of those who responded 70 percent said they would be willing to be in the parade,” Davids said. “The other 30 percent said they would make a decision closer to the date of the event.”
Following the parade, a memorial ceremony is planned to take place outside the new City Hall building.
Traditionally, the Memorial Day ceremony is done near the city’s Veterans Memorial.
However, the memorial is now inside a fenced-off construction area where Royal Oak is creating a new downtown park in the coming months.