MEMORIAL DAY 2018

National day of remembrance marked with parades in Sea Cliff, Glen Head

Posted

Some residents found Monday’s cloudy skies troubling. They wondered if showers would lead to yet another poor showing like it had for the past two years at the annual Memorial Day parades in Sea Cliff and Glen Head. But that did not happen. Large crowds lined up at the respective parade routes instead, even before the 9 a.m. step-off time.

In Sea Cliff, various village groups and organizations, elected leaders and local servicemen and women gathered at Memorial Park on Prospect Avenue to get into marching formation. Onlookers cheered when the marchers made their way down Sea Cliff Avenue brandishing American flags and colorful banners high into the sky.

The parade snaked around side streets and eventually concluded at Clifton Park in front of Memorial Rock, which commemorates the 180 Sea Cliff soldiers who served in World War I. Eight oak trees that stand behind the rock were planted to remember the eight soldiers who didn’t return. On parade day, each tree was adorned with a red, white and blue ribbon displaying the name of one of the fallen servicemen.

Residents celebrated the true meaning of Memorial Day by singing along with renditions of “America the Beautiful,” the Pledge of Allegiance, and the national anthem. Post Commander Phil Como then introduced two fourth graders from Sea Cliff Elementary School, Ava Varasano and Cameron Miller, who read essays about what Memorial Day means to them.

Across town, residents from Glen Head and Glenwood Landing patiently waited for the parade procession. Members of American Legion Post 336 were joined by Glenwood Landing firefighters, North Shore High School students and other local leaders to commemorate Memorial Day.

The parade stepped off from the firehouse on Grove Street and weaved through the hamlet towards the legion on Glen Head Road. Legionnaires made dedications to the war dead at three memorials along the way. Veterans from all wars joined together to remember their fallen comrades.