To the editor:
What is it about a parade that brings out the hometown feeling in residents? The flags waving from every hand, small and large? Crowds on the sidewalk straining to see the parade’s eclectic group of marchers? Even on a gray day threatening rain, the crowds in Darien attend the Memorial Day parade.
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We often forget that veterans, during war, did not falter or stop on the whims of the weather! Memorial Day is an observance of all those who fought!
We celebrate the freedoms they fought for by honoring them on this day, working in conjunction with the Beautification Committee and the Public Works Department, to grace the graves in our cemeteries and the streetlamps throughout downtown with the American flag, an awe-inspiring display of red, white & blue billowing in the wind!
Do we know how our parade comes to fruition? There are so many in our town who give their time along with a creative team of volunteers to bring the town a wonderful parade.
Darien’s Monuments & Ceremonies Commission does all the groundwork — including electing our Grand Marshall (Gene Mankowski) and Keynote Speaker (Robert H. “Bob” Patton) — arranging with the local police, insurance, marchers, and the post parade Commemorative Ceremony.
This commission works very hard to remind all of us that Memorial Day is more than a parade — it’s a dedicated group of volunteers who want us to remember that Memorial Day is a testament to those who serve to protect us — lest we never forget!
Throughout the year you can see the Monuments & Ceremonies Commission at work — Declaration Day Ceremony on the 4th of July, the 911 Remembrance event, Veteran’s Day event at Town Hall, where all are invited to join in with our town in honoring our veterans, our police and fire departments, our ER personnel and the many who work on various Town commissions to provide a safe, beautiful place to live! All of us working together can accomplish so much to keep alive the traditions of our Nation.
Nanci Natale, secretary
Darien Monuments & Ceremonies Commission