Memorial Day tradition for us is to go to the Norfolk, CT parade. Norfolk is my husband's home town. Some years he has marched as a veteran. Some years he has just been an observer, but we have missed very few years--maybe one in the last thirty four years.
This parade is a typical small town parade however, there is an interesting twist. If you stand on the green in the center of town you can get a good view of the parade approaching down Maple Street. After it passes by you, you cross to the other side of the green where the parade marchers have stopped so there can be a gun salute, and taps played by the Congregational Church. After the National Anthem, the parade resumes. It's not over yet.
You then can march along side the parade and down to the other little memorial green in front of the Catholic Church. There there is an opening prayer, an introduction to a special speaker, a speech, the reading of all the names of veterans from Norfolk who have died and it ends with a prayer and then taps and again the Star Spangled Banner--this year by a wonderful sounding brass ensemble.
At this point the parade marchers re-assemble to march back up the hill and you can yet again watch it for a fourth time! That is the way to get the full advantage of the parade. After that there are donuts and balloons at the firehouse and at the town hall the band members are served canned soda. For most years my husband and his best childhood buddy have handed out the sodas from the back of a pick up truck. This year a couple of girls jumped in and did the serving--wouldn't you know--I was going to take a picture this year.
Stay tuned for more pictures from Memorial day.
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