Flyovers, parades and ceremonies are in store for the three-day weekend as Beacon Falls, Naugatuck and Prospect observe Memorial Day.
Naugatuck’s annual Memorial Day parade steps off, rain or shine, Monday at 9:15 a.m. on North Main Street. The parade heads downtown to Town Hall on Church Street for a ceremony.
Korean War-era U.S. Air Force veteran Manuel Matos, a longtime Naugatuck resident, is the grand marshal of this year’s parade.
Matos joined the Air Force in October 1951 after graduating from Naugatuck High School. He completed his military service in September 1955, with the rank of airman first class. He earned the Air Force Good Conduct and National Defense Service medals during his service.
The Connecticut National Guard 142nd Medical Support Company will lead the parade’s military contingents, which also include elements of the Second Battalion, 98th Division, and the 325th Military Intelligence Battalion.
The parade will feature a low-level flyover by a World War II B-25 attack bomber that conducted a bombing raid on Tokyo in April 1942, a press release stated. The flyover will mark the first time that this aerial bomber has participated in a Memorial Day event in New England, the press release stated. There will also be a flyover by a C-130 plane from the Connecticut National Guard.
Marching units will assemble at 8:45 a.m. on North Main Street, in the vicinity of Union and Woodbine streets and St. Mary’s Church.
All veteran, civic and fraternal organizations are urged to participate in the parade. Parade units are asked to carry signs identifying their organizations.
For more information, call Sheila DeJesus at 203-729-1200.
Prospect’s annual Memorial Day parade will begin at 1 p.m. sharp on Monday on the Town Green on Center Street.
The parade heads past Town Hall on Route 69, turns onto Old Schoolhouse Road then onto Route 68. The parade then goes into Prospect Cemetery for a brief ceremony. Following the ceremony in the cemetery, another ceremony and wreath laying will be held on the Green.
Prospect Mayor Robert Chatfield said a flyover by a C-130 plane is planned for the parade, which will also feature a contingent from the U.S. Army, the St. Peter’s Drum Corps, the Police Pipes and Drums of Waterbury, and the Mattatuck Drum Band.
“It’s a small, meaningful parade,” Chatfield said.
Chatfield said any veteran, organization or business is welcome to participate in the parade. Those who want to march in the parade must meet on Center Street by 12:30 p.m.
If it rains, Chatfield said, a brief ceremony will be held in St. Anthony Church, 4 Union City Road.
Beacon Falls will observe Memorial Day on Sunday.
American Legion Post 25 will each host a ceremony at 12:30 p.m. at Veteran’s Park on North Main Street.
The ceremony will include speeches by veterans and local and state dignitaries, and a wreath laying. Post 25 will also honor members who have died over the past year during the ceremony. All are welcome to attend.
