MANCHESTER, NH – It may have rained on Manchester’s annual Memorial Day Parade, but the spirit of the day of remembrance for those servicemen and women who gave their all could not be deterred.
Parade organizers kept an eye on the weather forecast leading up to the 2 p.m. start time, and decided to go forward with the parade, although school bands scheduled to participate were notified earlier in the day that they would not be marching. Various veterans and civic groups marched in the parade, ending the procession inside Veterans Park for a brief wreath ceremony.
A sparse but enthusiastic crowd lined the parade route seeking shelter under canopies and umbrellas, including Mary Luckers of Manchester, and Michelle Walburger of Nashua.
“We’re both very patriotic, and close friends,” said Lucker. She said she has attended the Manchester parade every year since she was born, and on Memorial Day especially remembers her uncle and grandfather, for their lessons in patriotism.
Walburger said her father, Captain Donald Boyer, served many years with the Nashua Police Department. Both Lucker and Walburger said they were planning to attend a barbecue after the parade, held by Sweeney Post in Manchester.
Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter, D-NH, spoke briefly from the podium at Veterans Park, thanking those who came out for the parade and ceremony, especially those who brought their children – a powerful way of teaching patriotism and honor, Shea Porter said.
“We honor those who gave all for us,” Shea Porter said.
Click through the slideshow below.
