Memorial Day Parade on; units wanted

By Michael P. Walsh

Special to the Voice

The city will hold the 2021 Memorial Day parade and is seeking veterans, civic groups, fraternal organizations, service clubs and marching bands to participate in the annual procession, which steps off at 10:30 a.m. May 31, Mayor Nancy R. Rossi announced.

Although West Haven’s parade was postponed last year because of the coronavirus, this year’s parade will take place in accordance with federal and state guidelines, city Health Director Maureen B. Lillis said.

“I am very excited that Gov. Ned Lamont has authorized parades in Connecticut this year,” Rossi said. “For more than a century, our Memorial Day parade has been a patriotic tradition that families in West Haven have looked forward to and participated in to commemorate the unwavering courage and selfless sacrifice of our great American heroes.”

The city will follow all current and future directives by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Public Health to ensure the health and safety of both parade participants and spectators, Lillis said.

Lillis said that no vendors of any kind are allowed along the parade route, which goes up Campbell Avenue from Captain Thomas Boulevard to Center Street.

According to organizers, participants must register and list required special accommodations for the parade, which has no rain date.

The city will provide transportation for veterans who are unable to walk the 1.5-mile parade course. To make arrangements, call the mayor’s office at 203-937-3510.

The parade grand marshals are World War II veteran Frank Corso, who served in the Army Air Forces in 1942-45, and Korean War vet Salvatore Gullo, who served in the Navy in 1948-52.

Download a participation form at https://www.cityofwesthaven.com/DocumentCenter/View/3262/Memorial-Day-Parade-Reservation-Form-2021-PDF.

Forms are also available for pickup at City Hall, 355 Main St., where they are due May 3.

Forms can also be emailed to parade organizer Kristen Teshoney at kteshoney@westhaven-ct.gov or faxed to 203-937-3705.

Leading up to the parade, the city is urging all participants and spectators to review the following guidelines:

—    Marchers and participants must wear face masks in accordance with CDC and DPH guidelines.

—    People must maintain social distancing of 6 feet while marching or participating while driving or riding in a car or on a truck, float or trailer.

—    Marching bands must maintain social distancing of 9 feet while playing.

—    The city has the right to refuse a group or an organization from participating at the time of the parade if the rules are not obeyed.