Introduction
The Memorial Day Committee is pleased to announce its plans for the annual Memorial Day Parade and Services. The parade will be held this year on Saturday, May 26, 2012, and will kick off at 9 a.m. If you or an organization you are a member of would like to participate in this year's parade contact us today.
The information on this web site highlights the day's activities being planned which includes the ceremonies held following the parade. Photos of last year's parade are linked to from the table of contents above.
The committee is looking for a few volunteers this year to help during the parade. If you would like to volunteer at the parade, please contact us at memorial.day@wethersfieldct.com or feel free to call the Parks and Recreation Department at (860) 721-2890.
- The Parade Committee is once again requesting financial contributions for the parade activities this year. We need your support! Any contribution will be deeply appreciated. Information can be obtained from and contributions made to:
- Town of Wethersfield - Memorial Day Parade
- c/o Parks and Recreation Department
- 505 Silas Deane Highway
- Wethersfield, CT 06109
The Memorial Day Committee would like to encourage all residents, spectators and residents living along the parade route to demonstrate their support for the veterans and our country by displaying the American Flag during the parade.
Larry Spellacy, Chairman
Wethersfield Memorial Day Committee 2012
Pictured seated, from left to right, are Lee Sekas; Dan Camillieri; Sal Cucia. Standing, from left to right, are John Cascio; Police Lieutenant Donald Crabtree; Councilor Gerri Roberts; Chairman Larry Spellacy; Steve Hesse; State Representative Russell Morin; Deputy Fire Chief Brian Schroll; Mike Rell; and State Senator John Fonfara. Absent from the picture are State Senator Paul Doyle; Deputy Mayor John Console; and James Clynch.
Contact Information
For more information about the parade e-mail the committee at memorial.day@wethersfieldct.com or feel free to contact Larry Spellacy at (860) 529-7135.
Sponsorship / Support
The Memorial Day Parade Committee would like to thank the Wethersfield business community, organizations and volunteers who have given their support and who are helping to make this year's event memorable. If you would like to consider the sponsorship of a band or helping us in any manner, please contact the parade committee at memorial.day@wethersfieldct.com.
Memorial Day Ceremonies
At the conclusion of the parade, a Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at the Village Cemetery on Marsh Street. Guest speakers and parade guests commemorate the day.
Speaker
Lawrence P. Spellacy
Lawrence P. Spellacy, a resident of Wethersfield, has been chosen by the Memorial Day Parade Committee to present this year's Memorial Day address during the ceremonies after the parade. Mr. Spellacy served in the U.S. Army from 1969-1971 during the Vietnam War, and was awarded the Bronze Star and various Vietnam Service and campaign medals. Mr. Spellacy was chosen as this year's speaker because of his commitment to veterans and his service to the community of Wethersfield.
He has served as Commander of the American Legion Borne-Keeney Post #23 for the past ten years. Chairman of the Wethersfield Memorial Day Parade since 2004, he is a member of the Veteran's Day Committee, and has honored veterans at the Village Cemetery by coordinating efforts to place flags. In addition, he has been a volunteer in the Wethersfield We Care Program, which collected supplies and clothing for military personnel in Iraq, and volunteers at the Veterans Home in Rocky Hill.
Mr. Spellacy was a town honoree at the St. Patrick's Day Parade, was named "Volunteer of the Year" by the Wethersfield Chamber of Commerce and served as Parade Marshal of the Memorial Day Parade.
He is a Eucharistic Minister of the Church of Incarnation and is President of the Men's Association. Currently, he volunteers for the Keane Kids Carnival, Connecticut Public Radio/Television and the Ameri-Cares Home Front Project, a program involved with repairing and restoring homes of elderly/disabled residents in Wethersfield.
Mr. Spellacy retired in 2006, having worked at Insilco Corporation and Shared Technologies, Inc. He is married to Mary Ellen (Prout) and they have resided in Wethersfield since 1984.
Parade Marshals
James B. Griswold
James Botsford Griswold graduated from Manchester High School and began attending the University of Connecticut when his enrollment was cut short in 1942 by World War II. He joined the U.S. Army on March 9, 1943. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge and assisted in the liberation of both France and Germany. He was honorably discharged from the Army in January of 1946, whereupon he returned to the university and earned a B.S. in Plant Science.
He was married on March 16, 1946 to Lois Harriett Clark. Mr. Griswold was employed as the manager of Hollerer's Flowers until he joined the firm of Caldwell and Jones as a salesman. He is a former Master of the Stephany Lodge Masons, Chair of the Rocky Hill Congregational Church Board of Trustees and Anniversary Committee, Chairperson of the Rocky Hill Parks and Recreation Board and a member of the Rocky Hill Sidewalk Committee. Currently he volunteers as a tour guide at the State Capitol and at Avery Heights.
James and his wife Lois have been married for sixty-six years and live in Wethersfield. They have two daughters, nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.
Angela T. Pallone
Angela T. Pallone has been a resident of Wethersfield since 1985. She enlisted in the United States Army Reserve on February 11, 2000 as a Private First Class (PFC / E-3). She was assigned to the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion stationed in Danbury, Connecticut. In January 2003, her unit was activated for a deployment to Iraq for twelve months. On March 10, 2008 she was honorably discharged from the United States Army.
Her continued involvement with the military includes a lifetime membership to the VFW. She has always been supported by her employer, Hartford Hospital, and became a pen pal to a "Wounded Warrior" through a co-worker. She donates blood products monthly to the American Red Cross which can transfer directly to military families. She has made donations to the VA program "Stand Down," which aids homeless veterans, and to the VA Home in Rocky Hill for transitional housing for female veterans, as well as "Give 2 The Troops," which sends care packages to deployed military units. She has participated in public relation events through her former unit and has participated in Hartford's Veterans Day Parade with the Ellington Harley Owners Group (EHOG).
Flags of Appreciation
In recognition of all veterans, the GFWC/CT Newington/Wethersfield Women's Club, a member of General Federation of Women's Clubs, will be conducting a "Flags of Appreciation." Those wishing to honor a veteran may purchase a flag that will be placed on the Broad Street Green near the reviewing stand. Each flag will have a laminated tag along with a GFWC ribbon. The front side will give the veteran's name, military branch and date and location of service. Flags will be sold by the club for $10 in "honor of" or "in memory of" any veteran. Proceeds will benefit the GFWC/CT Vets Oasis (a veterans drop in center at Connecticut colleges) and care packages to service members serving abroad as well as other various veterans projects.
Additional information may be obtained by contacting Donna at gfwcngtnwethwomansclub@hotmail.com. Registration forms may be obtained at the Parks & Recreation office or by visiting the GFWC Newington/Wethersfield Women's Club web site. Requests must be received by Monday, May 14, 2012.
Invitation To All Veterans
This year, in recognition of all veterans who have returned home, this year's parade theme will be "Welcome Home Veterans." This year the parade committee cordially invites all veterans who have served to join us next to the reviewing stand to view the parade as a guest of the committee. In order that we may arrange for reserved seating, please e-mail the committee at memorial.day@wethersfieldct.com or contact the Parks & Recreation Department at (860) 721-2890.
Essay Contest
TBA
Information for Marchers
All marchers are reminded to begin arriving at the line of march beginning at 8:15 a.m. Marchers will be lined up on the grassy area between the DMV and the Solomon Welles House. Vehicles and floats will be lined up in the DMV parking lot and on State Street. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. only parade traffic will be allowed from Hartford Avenue to State Street. Shortly before the parade is to begin traffic will be closed off on State Street from both directions and access to the line of march by vehicle will be prohibited.
Parking at the Department of Motor Vehicles will be for those marching only. Those who are simply dropping off individuals who are marching are asked to drop individuals off and then proceed to exit. Buses and trailers will be directed to the rear parking lot of the DMV.
The line of march is posted below. It is subject to change.
At the conclusion of the parade, all participants are invited to the ceremony at the Village Cemetery on Marsh Street.
Line of March
TBA
Parade Route
The parade will step off at 9 a.m. and will head west on State Street to Nott Street then to Garden Street. It will then proceed down Garden Street, left onto Church Street and then right onto Main Street. The parade will continue on Main Street, then take a left back onto Garden Street to Broad Street. The Reviewing Stand will be on the Broad Street Green. We will then proceed north on Broad Street and cross Marsh Street to the Village Cemetery (behind First Church) for the cemetery services.
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Memorial Day Parade Route [180 KB PDF* file] |
Parking
Parking for spectators will be available throughout the parade route. Spectators may also park on any residential street not marked by "no parking" signs. Parking for marchers will be available at the Department of Motor Vehicle on State Street rear lot. The rear parking lot of the DMV will also be available for buses to park during the parade.
Street Closings
Below is a list of street closings and approximate times they will be closed. (All times listed below are approximate.)
- State Street (entire length) — 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
- Nott Street (from Garden Street to State Street) — 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
- Garden Street (from Nott Street to Church Street) — 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
- Church Street (from Garden Street to Main Street) — 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Main Street (from Church Street to Garden Street) — 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Garden Street (from Main Street to Broad Street) — 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
- Broad Street (west side, from Garden Street north to Marsh Street) — 9:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- Marsh Street (from Main Street to Broad Street) — 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
In addition, the following streets will be posted with temporary "No Parking" signs:
- State Street: From Hartford Avenue to the west driveway of DMV — both sides
- Nott Street: Around monument island at Hartford Avenue and Nott Street; from Hartford Avenue to Garden Street — both sides
- Garden Street: From Nott Street to Church Street — both sides
- Church Street: From Garden Street to Main Street — both sides
- Garden Street: From Main Street to Broad Street — both sides
- Broad Street: From Garden Street to Marsh Street — both sides
- Nott Street/State Street intersection
- Nott Street: Between State Street and Garden — both sides
- Main Street: From Church Street to Garden Street — both sides (Saturday morning only)
Rain Plans
In the event of inclement weather, the ceremonies will be moved indoors to the Wethersfield High School Gymnasium and will begin at 9 a.m. The latest parade information will be announced on WTIC radio station after 8 a.m. and on the Parks and Recreation Department program information line at (860) 721-2890. Information about postponement will be announced on WTIC-FM (96.5) after 8 a.m. and on the Wethersfield Parks & Recreation Information Line at (860) 721-2890. An announcement will also be posted in the "Latest Announcements" section on the home page of the town web site.
Memorial Day 2011 Photo Gallery
*This linked file is in Adobe's Portable Document Format. To view it you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer. It is available for free download at: 