Eight bands a-playing, and more than a thousand marchers — honored war vets, waving politicians, Scout troops and Little League teams, baton-twirling drum majorettes — along with floats, fire trucks, collectors’ cars and a military half-track — will make their way down Main Street on Monday in Ridgefield’s annual Memorial Day parade.
“You stand on the sideline, watching,” said Denis Loncto, the American Legion’s parade coordinator this year. “You just can’t help thinking it’s pure Americana — Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Little League …”
Memorial Day weekend’s activities will begin Friday evening, with veterans groups and volunteers — anyone’s welcome — placing small American flags on the graves of some 800 veterans buried in Ridgefield cemeteries.
Volunteers to place flags will meet at the American Legion Hall on North Salem Road at 6 on Friday, May 22.
“Memorial Day should not only be a day to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom, it should be every day!” said American Legion Commander George Besse.
The parade is scheduled to kick off at 11:30 Monday morning from Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church and march down Main Street to Ballard Park, where there will be ceremonies including prayers, patriotic music, military honors for the dead, and a speech by the grand marshal.
The grand marshal of this year’s parade is Lt. Col. Vincent John Ciuccoli, commanding officer of the Marine Corps Air Facility at Quantico, Va., where the presidential helicopters are based.
And the parade’s honorary grand marshal — yes, that’s a different position — is Jack Herr, an American Legion member and former Army band clarinetist who has been organizing free military band concerts in town for 47 years. (See story.)
The parade will stop twice on the way to the park to place wreaths of remembrance at the war memorials in front of Jesse Lee Church, opposite the top of Branchville Road, and at Veterans Memorial Park, in front of the Community Center’s Lounsbury House.
A flyover by the Air National Guard is planned during the parade, expected between 11:45 and noon.
“C-130 aircraft, they’re huge cargo planes,” Besse said.
American Legion Commander Besse briefly described plans for the closing ceremonies in Ballard Park, after the parade. There’ll be speeches by the grand and honorary marshals, prayer offerings by chaplains from the American Legion, the Marine Corps League and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Vocalist Evelyn Carr will sing the national anthem and God Bless America, and the Ridgefield High School Band will play a medley of patriotic and military-themed music.
The ceremony will close with military honors in memory of those who gave their lives for the nation — a gun salute, and the playing of taps.
‘Town’s parade’
The parade itself will include a wide variety of marchers, vehicles and floats, including members of three local veterans organizations: the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Marine Corps League.
“It’s the town’s parade, but traditionally the American Legion has organized and run the parade,” said Loncto, who’s in his first year as parade coordinator.
“Bob Tulipani and Dick Godbout, they are really the core of what got this going,” he said.
Godbout is again setting up the line of march.
Tulipani, a past commander of the American Legion and the parade’s coordinator for many years, is advising Loncto — with a bit of humor, it seems.
“He calls himself Sgt. Tulipani and he calls me General Nuisance,” Loncto said. “He’s been very helpful. Bob did it for many, many years and this is the first year I’m doing it, so I’ve leaned on him.”
King Lane closed
King Lane will be converted to one-way traffic — eastbound, from High Ridge toward Main Street — at 9 Monday morning, at which time access from Main Street to King Lane will be closed.
Parade participants will line up at 10:30, all units are expected to be in line at 11, and the parade is scheduled to “step off” at 11:30.
A lot of participants are expected.
How many?
“This is a number that shifts with time and conditions,” Loncto said, “but I approximated 1,150 marchers.”
In organizing the parade, the Legion contacted close to 80 groups.
Bands, twirlers
Among the entrants in the line of march are three color guards and eight bands, with each band leading a parade division.
The bands are the Ridgefield High School Marching Band with five twirlers, who’ll perform for a minute in front of town hall; the Danbury Drum Corps; the New Fairfield Sparklers; the Regulators Fife and Drum from Ossining N.Y.; Celtic Cross, bagpipes and drums; the Germantown Ancients, fife and drums; the Young Colonials, a period costume fife and drum corps from Carmel, N.Y.; and the Sons of Portugal Marching Band from Danbury.
Floats are being entered by the Caudatowa Garden Club, the Ridgefield Boys & Girls Club, the Rotary Club, St. Mary School, and ‘The Way of the Sword’ fencing group.
Politicians will be there.
A car is expected to carry state Rep. John Frey, state Rep. Janice Giegler and state Sen. Toni Boucher.
The Ridgefield Board of Selectmen will walk.
Three fire departments — and fire trucks — will be participating.
The Ridgefield Professional Firefighters expect to have about 25 marchers. The Ridgefield Volunteer Fire Department plans on 60 marchers and six fire trucks. The Georgetown Fire Department is signed up for two trucks and 12 marchers.
New this will be Sean McKee, the DJ known as “Big Daddy” and a longtime Ridgefielder.
“He’s going to be in front of town hall, announcing the line of march,” Loncto said. “That’s the first time we’ve had anything like that.”
There will be a wide variety of groups marching, or riding in the 30-odd cars and trucks.
Sports groups are signed up: Ridgefield Girls Softball, Ridgefield Aquatic Club, SCOR soccer club, Ridgefield Youth Lacrosse.
“Ridgefield Little League has about 250 kids,” Loncto said.
There are martial arts schools: Shaolin Studio, and World Champion Tae Kwon Do.
Adult civic organizations include Sunrise Rotary, Rides for Ridgefield, Ridgefield Woman’s Club, the Graveyard Committee, SPHERE.
Local institutions entered include the Keeler Tavern, the Ridgefield Library, the Prospector Theater.
The parade will have schools and nursery schools — some pulling little wagons: St. Stephen’s Nursery School, Ridgefield Community Kindergarten, Creative Children’s Korner, St. Mary’s School.
There’ll be Scouts — four packs of Cub Scouts, two Boy Scout troops, and many Girl Scouts.
“Girl Scouts representing all the different elementary schools,” Loncto said, “led by flags, banners and balloons.”
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