Memorial Day Parade Will Not Disappoint: Post 146 Steps Up to Provide Parade

Plans for this year’s Memorial Day Parade, which will take place on Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day observed) beginning at 2 p.m. when the parade steps off from the Metcalf Square area.

Local veteran and supporter of our troops Richard Honan said this week that he and the Memorial Day Committee comprised of Veterans Agent Larry Holmes, Lou Camacho, Richard Duvall, John O’Maley, Bill Brown, Richard Gay and Charles Northrup have been hard at work signing up participants for the parade and the Winthrop American Legion Post 146 has stepped up to pay for the cost of having four bands participate.

The bands include the Everett High School Marching Band, the Anthony Barrie Marching Band,. The Boston Fireman’s Band and a Pipe and Drum band.

“We’ll also have the Little League, youth soccer, the boys scouts and girl scouts, Winthrop Police Explorers, Winthrop Auxiliary Police, Winthrop Police Honor Guard, the Winthrop Fire Department, the Public Works Department with their new truck, The Winthrop Improvement and Historical Association, The Emblem Club, the Winthrop Lodge of Elks and all the local yacht clubs,” noted Honan.

The Parade route begins at Metcalf Square, near Town hall, heads down Pauline Street to Pleasant Street turns toward Washington Street until River Road, turns right at Cross Street and continues along the outside of the Winthrop Golf Club to Miller Field where the parade will end.

“In year’s past we’ve occasionally had a small ceremony, a flag dedication or something at the Field or at the Little League fields, but we don’t have anything planned for the end of the parade this year,” said Honan.

Events in observance of Memorial Day actually begin on Sunday morning, May 27, with the now annual Marine Service, which remembers those who lost their lives at sea and is held at the Cottage Park Yacht Club at 9:00 a.m. on the day before Memorial Day.

At 10:00 a.m. at St. John’s Evangelist Church, there will be a Memorial Church Service, to remember our fallen heroes and that will be followed this year with a square dedication for Merchant Marine Joseph Puorro, at 11:30 a.m. at the corner of Brookfield and Lincoln Street.

The traditional Memorial day services will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the Winthrop Cemetery, where this year’s guest speaker will be Winthrop resident and U.S. Army Reservist Mark Indresano, a Specialist with the Massachusetts National Guard who served in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011.

Kathy Haskell, the Exalted Ruler of the Winthrop Lodge of Elks, 1078, will serve as Master of Ceremonies and the ceremony will feature song selections led by Bill Furey, who will sing the National Anthem at the beginning of the ceremony, Tina Marie Talvey, who will sing America the Beautiful and six-year old Vyctoria Pettee, daughter of USN Chief Petty Officer Brian Pettee and his wife Sara. Pettee is currently serving on board the USS Constitution. Vyctoria will sing the National Anthem at the closing of the ceremony.