Update: Five Towners are making Memorial Day parade plans

In another sign that life in the Five Towns is returning to normal, villages and organizations are making plans to hold Memorial Day parades later this month.

After being canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Cedarhurst-Lawrence parade is tentatively scheduled for May 31, beginning at 10 a.m. According to Cedarhurst mayor Benjamin Weinstock, the parade will step off at Frost Lane in Lawrence.

“We’ll be marching down Central Avenue to Cedarhurst,” Weinstock said. “We will then go to [Andrew J. Parise Cedarhurst Park] and have a short program at the park, where we will have a couple of speeches. We will be doing the things we normally do in memory of the American soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, is a time to remember the men and women who died serving in the U.S. military. The holiday was first officially celebrated after the Civil War, on May 30, 1868. New York had been the first state to observe Decoration Day two years earlier, when upstate Waterloo commemorated it on May 5, 1866. The community is federally recognized as the holiday’s birthplace.

Weinstock said that Cedarhurst’s plans were still “in the works,” but he expected the parade to take place. “This is an outdoor event, and we have plenty of space to spread out and accommodate the people,” he said. “We felt that this can be a safe event for everybody. Masks and social distancing will be required.”

The Village of Lawrence is a co-sponsor of the event, along with Cedarhurst and the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department. Lawrence Trustee Paris Popack has helped organize the parade in recent years, when she has served as president of the Lawrence Association.

“The sacrifice that was made endures every year, and the benefits that we derive from those sacrifices continue every year and every day,” Popack said of the importance of Memorial Day. “There’s no end to the amount of gratitude we feel, and it gives us a chance to express our continued thanks to those who have sacrificed their lives to defend our nation, our families and freedom.”

While attendance may not be close to the nearly 3,000 marchers and spectators who took part in or watched the 2019 parade, Popack said she hoped the attendance would approach that. “We need participants, spectators, sponsors and volunteers,” she said. “Knowing that for a whole year people wanted to step outside, they now have a good and meaningful reason to do so.”

Instead of holding their traditional parade, Hewlett and Woodmere will be holding a ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on May 31 in conjunction with American Legion Post 339. Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association President David Friedman explained what will take place.

"The 4th Precinct Officers and Auxiliary Officers will block off the Hewlett Veterans Memorial Plaza at 11:15 a.m.," Friedman said. "The American Legion will have a Convocation to honor those who gave their lives defending our country, our local clergy will say a prayer, and a local student will play taps."

In Inwood, a parade was tentatively scheduled for May 30, David Hance, of the Inwood Civic Association, said that there will not be one this year.

Weinstock said that the parades would serve as an important sign of life getting back to normal. “There are so many towns and villages on Long Island that want to hold these parades,” he said. “This is a very important part of life on Long Island.”