Memorial Day is right around the corner and American Legion Post 83 is preparing for the annual Memorial Day parade and ceremonies. Master of ceremonies Mike Rocque said all the regular events and ceremonies are planned.
The day will begin at Our Lady of Angels cemetery for a memorial Mass. Rocque said the Mass will take place at 8 a.m. and is open to the public.
“After the service at Our Lady of Angels, the parade will begin lining up at 10 a.m. near the Post and the village (Riverside) park,” he said.
With Whitehall being the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, Memorial Day and Veterans Day are two holidays taken very seriously by the post, Rocque said. The parade is an added spectacle to the day and is seeing a bit of a change this year. The Auxiliary will be voting on the best patriotism-themed float.
“We’re not trying to make it into a Fourth of July parade, it’s Memorial Day so it’s more somber and we are paying our respects to the men and women that gave their lives in service to the country whereas the fourth is a big birthday bash,” he said.
The parade will kick off at 11 a.m. and the Whitehall Band will be marching this year for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. The parade will follow the usual route of turning onto Clinton Street off Main Street. The parade will then pause at the gun battery park on the corner for a 21-gun salute.
“We will lay a wreath there and do a 21-gun salute as well as have a playing of Taps to pay respect to the fallen,” he said.
The parade will then continue down Route 22 to Broadway Avenue and Poultney Street where the police will have traffic stopped for the parade to turn on Poultney and continue marching to Williams Street.
“That brings us down to the Saunders Street bridge and we will conclude where we started,” he said.
After the parade ends there will be a ceremony at Riverside Park. Rocque said several speeches are planned.
“Once people are settled in the park, we like to kick things off as soon as possible which is usually around noon. But I’ll look to see if everyone that is speaking is in the gazebo and we’ll get started,” he said. “The town supervisor, mayor, Elks exalted ruler, do greetings. I’ll have some comments and so the Auxiliary will have some comments.”
One last thing on the Legion’s list is getting the local cemeteries ready. It is traditional for flags to be placed at the gravesites of veterans.
“We also have the responsibility of getting all the gravesite flags out by Memorial Day, so we sometimes have had Youth League volunteers help and others,” he said.
Those interested in volunteering to help with gravesite flags should contact American Legion Post 83 at 518-499-2482.
