By Nicole Falco
The parade will start on Rockaway Parkway north of Wheeler Avenue facing south. The parade will proceed south on Rockaway Parkway to Valley Stream Boulevard and then west to Verona Place turning left to the band shell in the Village Green. Memorial services will be held at the conclusion of the parade at the memorial monument on the corner of Valley Stream Boulevard and Hicks Street. The brief services will include the "Roll Call of Honored Dead from Valley Stream." Also expected to be in attendance will be town Supervisor Kate Murray, Councilman James Darcy and Mayor Edward Cahill.
This year's parade grand marshall is Ron Sabo, past commander of the American Legion. He was asked to serve as grand marshall two years ago, but the parade was cancelled that year due to rain. Sabo is a Vietnam veteran, having served in the Navy from February 1966 to December 1969.
"I'm honored," Sabo said. "It's something to be proud of. Memorial Day is a special day."
He has been a member of the American Legion for 36 years. His father signed him up to be a member even before he came home from the war. Sabo's father, the late John W. Sabo, served in the Army during World War II. He was stationed in Pearl Harbor and was there when it was bombed.
Sabo enlisted in the Navy after graduating from Central High School. "The Vietnam War was going on when we graduated from Central," he said. "We had all been sent down for our physicals. We were going to get drafted anyway. People were getting drafted left and right [at that time]."
Immediately following Sabo in the procession will be Kevin Lawlor, American Legion post commander and Gregory Feist, VFW post commander.
A record number of community groups have signed up to march in this year's parade.The parade committee, co-chaired by Jerry Hahn and Feist, asks that any Valley Stream organization interested in participating in the procession should contact Hahn at (516) 599-4469. The committee depends on community cooperation to make this an impressive occasion.
All participating organizations will be expected to complete the parade route, which ends near the band shell on the Village Green. At the conclusion of the parade, all organizations are asked to participate in the memorial service.
Memorial Day weekend events also include a wreath laying ceremony sponsored by the American Legion on Sunday, May 29, at 11 a.m. at 51 Roosevelt Avenue. The VFW is hosting its own Memorial Day service on Sunday, May 29 at 11 a.m. The VFW and American Legion will meet at the Brooklyn Avenue School for a brief ceremony immediately following their respective 11 a.m. services. And, the Central High School Alumni Association will hold its annual service on Saturday, May 28, at 11 a.m. in front of Central High School, Fletcher Avenue.
