Submitted by Michael Parahus.
The annual Killingworth Memorial Day parade returns this year and will be held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, 2022. The parade will begin at 9:00 a.m. and follow a route from Killingworth Elementary School, proceeding south on Route 81. The parade will end at the Congregational Church where a ceremony will be held after the parade with state and local officials as well as veterans in attendance. A military guard will be present, Taps will be played, and we expect a flyover will occur around the time of the ceremony. We encourage all who watch the parade to gather at the Congregational Church to take part and observe the brief ceremony.
Prior to the parade, a brief honor ceremony will be held at the Memorials in front of Town Hall and volunteers in conjunction with the Killingworth Lions Club will place flags on all veterans’ graves in the cemeteries around town. A small ceremony will be held at Evergreen Cemetery on Green Hill Rd. (near the Killingworth/Madison town line) at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 29, 2022.
While Memorial Day marks the beginning of the summer season, it should be remembered what the purpose of Memorial Day is. Memorial Day is held in remembrance of soldiers who fell in combat risking their lives for their country. It is about gratitude. As FDR once said, “Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy, forget in time that men have died to win them.” The modern Memorial Day observance began with the end of the Civil War where, in four years of fighting, more than 622,000 Americans, from the North and the South, had died. That started a tradition of placing flowers on the graves of the fallen to honor their memory….a tradition that continues today at Arlington National Cemetery and across our country with the placement of American flags on veterans’ graves.
We welcome any groups, organizations, teams, to march in the parade. We encourage and welcome decorations and floats and vehicles. Red, white and blue are the colors of the day. Signage on your float or vehicle of ”We Honor the Fallen” are encouraged. If you wish to join the parade, the staging for the parade will begin at 8:00 a.m. in the parking lot of Killingworth Elementary School. No pre-registration is necessary to march; just assemble at the KES staging area where the parade organizers will place you in the parade. Should you have questions about marching or any aspect of the Parade, please reach out to Charlie Smith at 203-430-5887.
Ample parking is available along the parade route next to the firehouse, Town Hall, at the Little League field along Recycle Way, and at St. Lawrence Church near the end of the parade route. Route 81 will be closed to vehicle traffic from KES to the Circle during the parade. We invite all to come out and join us in celebrating the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Get your group or team ready to march, decorate a float or a car or your tractor! See you at the Parade!! Memorial Day…Monday May 30th!
Photo by Olivia Drake.
