By Clark Judge
(May 26, 2026) — If rainy days and Mondays get people down, what happens if a rainy day IS a Monday? Well, ask the people of Killingworth. They can tell you. In fact, they just experienced one, and you know something? They didn’t mind it.
For the second time in six years, their annual Memorial Day parade was cancelled because of inclement weather, with First Selectman Eric Couture making the decision early Sunday evening after forecasts for the following morning called for the weekend rain to continue.
But there was a catch: While the parade would be washed out, the ceremony that follows would not. “Logistically,” said Couture, “it was not that hard (a decision). We were watching the weather, and it was just holding steady. We’d rather have held the parade, but at the end of the day we had to make a call.”
OK, no problem.
The outdoor program that includes local military veterans and dignitaries and normally is held on the front lawn of the Killingworth Congregational Church simply was moved into the church sanctuary for a half-hour observance. Attended by an estimated 100 persons, it honored the 41 local citizens who perished in military combat from as far back as the French and Indian War to Operation Desert Freedom in 2007.
If that sounds familiar, it should. While the venue changed, the ceremony did not. It followed the same protocol as previous observances, with military veterans saluted, “Taps” played, the Pledge of Allegiance recited, bells rung for each fallen soldier, a wreath placed to the left of the altar, a prize-winning poem read, and high-schooler Emma Castiglioni singing “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”
Afterward, there was a reception catered by Dunkin’ Donuts.
“It all worked out,” said Charlie Smith, an Air Force veteran who oversees the Memorial Day program. “We changed a few things around, but we appreciate all the people who came here, as well as all the speakers. They were memorable. But the bottom line is: We got it done. The parade is one thing, but the ceremony? That’s icing on the cake.”
Photo by Clark Judge
