Weston cancels Memorial Day parade, race goes virtual
WESTON — The town Memorial Day parade will again not happen this year due to COVID, the Weston Volunteer Fire Department announced.
“After consultation with the health district and town leadership, it seems clear that this is not the time to let down our guard,” Craig Cohen, president of the fire department, and Peter Stack, parade chairwoman, wrote in the announcement.
Last year, the parade, road race and fair were canceled due to COVID.
The road race will happen in some form this year, with runners having the option to participate virtually on their own, according to the race website.
Cohen and Stack said they explored a variety options to see if the parade could still happen this year. The department has been monitoring the course of the pandemic and vaccinations when considering its decision.
“We know this is incredibly disappointing,” they wrote. “Like so many other things that help bind our department to our town, the parade is integral to our identity.”
They said there was still some hope in the latest COVID figures.
“We are still confident that the trajectory of this pandemic is going in the right direction and that with a vaccinated department and cases in the state at a safer level; we will soon be back together in person,” they wrote. “Keep the faith.”
As of last Thursday, Weston was peach colored, the second-lowest category in the state’s positivity classification. It reported a 7.7 percent positivity rate per 100,000 people with
“We are still confident that the trajectory of this pandemic is going in the right direction and that with a vaccinated department and cases in the state at a safer level; we will soon be back together in person. Keep the faith.”
Craig Cohen, president of the fire department, and Peter Stack, parade chairwoman in a written annoucement
nine new cases in the first week and two new cases in the second week, according to state data.
“Since the outbreak of the pandemic, our department has done an excellent job of maintaining operational readiness and avoiding any illness-related compromises in our ability to meet our duty to respond to our community’s needs,” Cohen and Stack said.