Remembering U.S. troops at upcoming parades

Posted Tuesday, May 24, 2011 4:55 pm

Holding the “Key to Elmont” are Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano; Ralph Esposito., chair of the Belmont Stakes Parade Committee; Charlie Hayward, CEO of NYRA; Joanne Adams, community relations liaison for NYRA; County Legislator John Ciotti; Elmont Chamber of Commerce President Chris Rosado; Town of Hempstead Councilman Ed Ambrosino; and Pat Boyle, director of GYO.

Courtesy Ann DeMichael

The Elmont Fire Department, above, marched in the Elmont Memorial Day Parade in 1983. The parade has been a local tradition since the 1930s.

Courtesy Doug Mashkow

Veterans George Dee, left, and Manny Rodriguez, of the Post 1033 Color Guard, waited to shoot their rifles after “Taps” was played at the end of the Elmont Memorial Day Parade in 2010.

Courtesy Manny Rodríguez

The Elmont American Legion Post 1033 Color Guard led the Elmont Memorial Day Parade in 2010, which ended at the Elmont Memorial Library.

Courtesy Manny Rodríguez

By Jackie Nash

The Elmont Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday, May 30, beginning at 10:30 a.m., at the Sewanhaka High School, located at 500 Tulip Ave. in Floral Park. The parade will travel south on Covert Avenue, to Hempstead Turnpike, then turns west on the turnpike, ending at the Elmont Memorial Library, located at 700 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont. The parade is expected to end around 11:15 a.m.

Following the parade, the Veteran’s Memorial Ceremony will be held at the Elmont Memorial Library. The parade and ceremony is hosted by the American Legion’s Post 1033 in Elmont. Elmont’s Memorial Day Parade has been held since the 1930s, when it ran along Belmont Boulevard.

“The Elmont Memorial Day Parade has been a meaningful yearly event for the local and surrounding area veterans, volunteer firemen, school children, teachers, administrators, parents, civic clubs, our local politician, and the community in general,” said Manny Rodríguez, commander of Elmont’s Post 1033. “You can feel the pride in our country as you look into their faces during the ceremonies. Additionally, attendees approach us after the parade to express their gratitude … we feel the same gratitude towards those who take time to appreciate the true meaning of Memorial Day, which is remembering those who sacrificed everything for our freedom and democracy.”

Ralph Esposito, of the Elmont American Legion Post 1033, agreed that the parade is an important annual event for the Elmont community.

"It says that we would not have the freedom we enjoy today if it was not for the sacrifices some of our veterans made," Esposito said.

The Franklin Square Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday, May 30, at 10 a.m. The parade, which is sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2718, will begin in front of the Franklin Square Public Library, located at 19 Lincoln Rd. in Franklin Square.

Bruno Caracciolo, of the Franklin Funeral Home, will be the grand marshal of Franklin Square's parade.

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