 Good morning everybody. Good morning Essex Junction. My name is Elaine Haney, this is Marcus Serta. We're city councilors and we're really happy to see you this morning on this gorgeous Memorial Day morning. This is the 36th annual Essex Memorial Day parade, parade program. We're so happy to be here. To start things off, we want to welcome Reverend Mark Mendez from the First Congressional Church of Essex Junction who's going to be offering the prayer of invocation. Good morning. Let us pray. As we come in pride, let us recognize that we all pray in different ways. Some of us go to church and pray with others. Some of us talk to the mysterious presence of the divine while hiking to the top of a mountain. Some of us find divinity while helping to feed, care or love others less fortunate or in need. Some of us pray the rosary or meditate on our mantras or recite the Shema Azrael or the Sela daily prayers. Some of us connect to the living God dancing around a fire on a dark, dark solstice night. Some of us find God fighting for racial equality and gender freedom and equal rights and environmental justice and economic fairness for all people in this country. Some of us find God in the purity of thought found in truth and science and mathematics or the wisdom of the ages. In our deepest longing to connect, we all seek out forces and powers greater than ourselves to draw from for strength, discernment and direction. As we acknowledge our different gods and philosophies of living, we also recognize that there are many differences among us. We have vastly different political persuasions. We are men and women young and old with a variety in the hue of our skin, the color of our hair and the shape of our bodies. We are gay and straight, lesbian and gay and bisexual, transgendered, polyamorous and gender fluid. We are still questioning and figuring out who we are. We are rich and poor professionals, day laborers and trade folks, retired and getting educated. We drive trucks, care for the sick people, our first responders or teach our communities children. Today, we come as a crazy mixture of people united as residents of Essex Junction and Essex Town to raise our gratitude to our various gods for the devotion and sacrifice of our armed forces who gave their lives so that we might worship and live the way we want to. Today, we will hoop and holler and collect candy at the parade. We will listen to marching bands and fire trucks and we will celebrate the freedom balled for us with generations of soldiers who know what sacrifice and dedication are all about. Today, we will cherish our families, picnic in our backyards and explore the wonders and beauty of Vermont. We all claim this Memorial Day holiday in different ways, but as we do so, let us recognize for a moment that we are free to worship the way we want because of the sacrifice of those who served. Let us recognize for a moment that we are free to express ourselves in different ways because of those who lost their lives for our country. Let us recognize for a moment that we are free to work and play and love whomever we want because of folks who fought to defend the values and principles of this fair land. So hoop and holler, dance and drink, play and picnic, eat and explore. But sometime during your festivities, remember and reflect and honor the fallen heroes and current military service folk who make all of this possible. And today we especially lift up our own men and women who serve with distinction and pride, courage and sacrifice. Women and men from the 86th Brigade of the Vermont Army National Guard and the 158th Fighter Wing of the Vermont Air National Guard. And for all from these Green Hills who serve to make this corner of God's world more peaceful and true. We pray all of this and more on this fine spring, Vermont Memorial Day morning and everyone said Amen. Thank you Reverend Mendez. And now the placing of the wreaths by Essex Junction Lions Club member Dennis Hill and VFW post 6689 commander Roger Brassard. We would like to recognize and honor our two courageous forces. They were nominated by members of the community and have a long history of serving both our country and community. First, we would like to recognize Ron Prevy. Ron, would you please come forward? After graduating from Essex High School in 1960, Ron Prevy enlisted in the U.S. Army. He spent his three years of service in training standing ready to answer the nation's call if needed. Ron spent time in Fort Dix, New Jersey and ultimately completed his service in Alaska. Ron was assigned to armored tanks. He was trained as both a driver and a gunner. Ron was in the platoon leader's tank and thus in the leader's absence assumed command. Ron's connection to the Essex community is extensive. He attended the first grade at Park Street School, Vermont's first brick schoolhouse and was a ninth grader when Fleming was the high school and spent his other three years in high school at ADL when that was Essex High School. While in high school, Ron was voted most friendly, a reputation he continues to live up to today. Just stop by Murray's Tavern on any given afternoon and you'll see for yourself. After Ron's military service, he eventually became a welder at GE where he worked for 25 years making parts for guns. He has been married for 52 years to Diana, his father of Sean and Nikki, and grandfather to six grandchildren. He has lived in the same house in the city of Essex Junction for the last 52 years. Over time, Ron has been involved with Essex Youth Hockey and VFW Post 6689. When Ron's kids were in high school, he was renowned for his homecoming float building abilities. And Ron has also been a passionate pickleballer. Ron's time in service was three years, but his love of the armed forces and our country has been evident for the subsequent 60. Ron is proud of our country, proud that he served our country and proud of others who serve. Ron is the first person to think a member of the armed services in uniform. He wears his US Army veteran hat daily. Ron is humbled and honored to be recognized as one of this year's Essex Memorial Day Parade grand marshals. Would you please rise and join me in celebrating our first grand marshal for the 2023 Essex Memorial Day Parade US Army E5 Sergeant Ron Prevy. Ron's son, Sean Prevy has a few words about his dad. I'm just going to say very briefly few words on my father's behalf. And first, I know he would he would like to say thank you to all veterans and current service members. And to remember that without our soldiers of the past, we would not be where we are today. I need to thank my sister, Nikki. She's the one who started the idea of nominating our father for grand marshal. And as an idea that turned into he got it. Next, I'd like to say thank you to the committee for for selecting our father because I know what this means to him. Words cannot express his gratitude or how honored and proud he is to be recognized in this way. You'll see it in his face. Finally, I'd like to take this unique opportunity to just say thank you dad for everything. And to tell you how proud I am of you. Congratulations on a day well deserved. We are presenting Ron with an encased American flag. Next, we'd like to honor our second grand marshal, Peter Furkey. Peter, please come forward. One year after graduating from Essex High School in 1981, Peter Furkey enlisted in the US Army. During high school, he was one of the original members of the junior ROTC program. Peter would continue his participation in ROTC during college at UVM. Yet he was a student at St. Mike's. He graduated with a business degree. And in 1986 became a member of the Army National Guard. In 1992, Peter became active duty and full time with the Guard for the next 23 years. He earned a master's of strategic studies from the US Army War College in 2011. He retired in 2015 as Colonel. During his time of service, Peter served overseas in Italy, Afghanistan, Macedonia and Senegal. He spent 21 years in field artillery, was an Afghan Army advisor and spent his final five years of active duty train celebrating with us. He spent his five years of active duty his final five years of active duty as Deputy Chief of Staff for personnel. He earned multiple awards, including the Legion of Merit Bronze Star for service in Afghanistan and Humanitarian Service Medal as commander of the Vermont Army and National and Air National Guard after Hurricane Katrina. Since 2018, Peter has served as a civilian for the Vermont National Guard as the Deputy Director of HR. Peter grew up in Essex and has lived multiple times in both the city and town. He has been married to his wife Laura for 34 years, who is also in the junior ROTC program while in high school. They have two daughters, Emily and Eva. Peter spent many years volunteering with the Essex High School Junior ROTC program. He and his family enjoy camping and hiking and they have been active members of the First Congressional Church of Essex Junction. Peter has been formally associated with the armed forces in some capacity for the last 41 years. He has proudly served our country at home and abroad and he is a deserved honoree as one of this year's Essex Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshals. Please rise and join me in celebrating our second Grand Marshall for the 2023 Essex Memorial Day Parade US Army Colonel Peter Furkey. We've presented Peter with an encased American flag. Would you please welcome Nina Doluna. Nina Doluna. She's a seventh grader at ADL who is going to be reading her Memorial Day essay. Today, we are here to honor not only those who have served but soldiers who are willing to defend this country with their lives. Memorial Day usually is an extra day of the weekend so people have barbecues and go to the beach. But the true meaning of this day is rooted deep into America's history. Today, we remember the soldiers who died fighting for us in every known war. World War I, World War II, the Civil War and so many more. We honor these men and women who fought for this country. The family and all of these so foreign soldiers of all these fallen soldiers mourn the loss of a loved one and their fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters, all of these soldiers fought for their lives. So today, we must remember the lives that were lost in the battlefields of war. That is what Memorial Day truly is. To remember those who fell fighting for this country. Next, I would like to welcome Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Wignall, commander of the US Army Mountain Warfare School. Great. Thank you. Great ceremony. Thank you for having me. That's a tough act to follow. Good job, Nina. That was that was wonderful. But a powerful day and thank you to everybody who put this together. A happy Memorial Day. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Matt Wignall and yes, I'm a soldier. I'm also a husband. I'm a son. I'm a high school coach. I'm a father and I'm a community member here in Essex and I tell you this so that as we pause today to honor the service members that we've lost in battle, that we're also reminded of those that they left behind. Happy Memorial Day. There's an unsettling feeling that we have when we say those words, maybe as if we're doing it wrong. As if the act of celebration is in some way disingenuous. I assure you it's not. As I look across the crowd, I see strong, determined, optimistic, free people that gathered because they cherished the lives of our fallen service members. Individuals who just like you look to the future and envisioned a better world. That's worth celebrating. For over 150 years, we celebrate this day remembering those who died for our freedom. They fell in the jungles of the South Pacific on the bloody beaches in Normandy on the icy slopes of the Korean Peninsula, the rice paddies of Vietnam and the mountains and caves in Afghanistan and on the sands in the streets of Iraq. These brave men and women left behind the safety of our sovereign soil to defeat tyrants to ensure justice and fulfill the promise of safety and security that our citizens and the global community so badly need. Their lives were dedicated not to conflict or death, but to compassion and to life and to hope and to freedom. Whether it was a war of necessity to protect our people in our land or a war of choice to establish order around the world. These are men and women that never questioned the purpose of war. For them, the purpose was simply to serve the greater good. And if need be, lay down their lives with preservation of our freedom and to protect the brothers and sisters that served to their side. Expressing ourselves in a reverent and meaningful way can be challenging and even confusing on a day like this. Oftentimes we seem compelled to express our grief by connecting vicariously through our veterans and service members while being cautious not to impede on what might what might be intimate or personal emotions. We visit monuments, we plant flags and cemeteries, we challenge ourselves in a Memorial Day CrossFit workout or run a road race, perhaps even a marathon. We organize and attend a parade or perhaps we remain silent with our feelings in our heart. I submit to you that what matters most is our continued collective effort to remain conscious of the price of freedom. And we do that today by gathering to celebrate those who paid the ultimate price for just that our freedom. And again, let's be mindful of the millions of families left behind wives, husbands, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers who are left with the burden of living in the absence of those that they love most. For them, a day of remembrance is not an option. It's a way of life. They bear the greatest burden of us all and we can never thank them in a way that makes up for their loss. And on behalf of those present here today, please allow me to express my sincere appreciation and condolence. We're humbled by your resilience and grateful for your continued support to our military. It is in your honor that we gather here today to celebrate the things that your loved ones cherished most their freedom, their families, their community. And in that celebration, we parade the streets witnessing that very freedom. So as the baseball teams and the dance teams and the Boy Scouts pass us by today, let's smile and let's show reverent celebration for our freedom and all that has been provided through their sacrifice. The sacrifice of the brave men and women who've died to preserve it. Happy Memorial Day. God bless America. And now Gary Moreau will sing God bless America. Please join in. God bless America. Land that will stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above. The mountains to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam. The mountains to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam. Now the parade has already kicked off from the fairgrounds. It is going to be coming over that little hump down the road heading this way. So looking forward to seeing all the parade as it passes us by. But Elaine, I do want to say before we get too far along, it's great to see you again. I'm so glad that we got to do this again. Last year was a little colder, a little bit rainier, but this year beautiful. We couldn't ask for a better day, Marcus. It is so nice to be here and not be anticipating rain and then being dumped on. It's going to be a great parade. There's so many people here today. So everybody take your seats, make sure you have a good spot on the curb. We're going to be kicking off and seeing those floats come down the street any minute. But while we're starting, let's give a few pieces of information about our parade. Marcus said earlier this is the 36th annual Essex Memorial Day Parade and we're one of the biggest parades in the state of Vermont. The best parade. That definitely the best parade. Yeah, absolutely. And the theme of our parade is all gave some, some gave all. Now today's parade is going to feature over 70 participants, 13 different divisions, including fire trucks, marching bands, scouting units, dance troops, mascots, tractors, cycle units. Oh, there's a lot and it's all coming our way. And if you brought a non-perishable food donation to the parade, first of all, thank you, look for the collectors from Matt Lumsden real estate. They're sponsoring a stuff a truck food drive to benefit ant dots food shelf. Marcus brought his bag of groceries already, so thank you Marcus for doing that and thank you everybody who supports the food services in our community. The truck will be coming through in the Essex Rotary Division and some Rotarians will be assisting with the pickups. Now I want to give some special thanks to some special people who make this all happen. Today you're going to see people from all departments of the city and the town helping to participate. So I want to give some special attention to the city of Essex Junction and town of Essex as we both come together to support this parade today. As we have for so many years, it's a great tradition of working together. Now, I want to give some special thanks to the road crews. You can see some of them right here at five corners. Hey fellas. Hey road crew, thank you. The public works crew is setting up at five corners. They've hung American flags around town, so guess what? Thanks to them for helping make this celebration just even more special. And special thanks also to the Essex Police Department and the Essex Junction Fire Department for coordinating traffic and keeping our streets safe and you'll see them all throughout the crowd. Thank you Essex Fire, Essex Police. There's two people right there. Thank you chief. Your whole team. Listen, we're going to see all kinds of great people coming through this parade today. This parade is being supported by individuals, by businesses, and the town of Essex comes together with Essex Junction to financially make this parade possible. And the Lions and the VFW were responsible for building this beautiful Veterans Memorial Park right here at five corners, where we have all of our ceremonies on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, the beautiful memorial from them. After the parade today at noon, guess what? Chicken barbecue. That's right, chicken barbecue at the VFW post 6689 at 73 Pearl Street right down the road there. It's going to be delicious. Stop on buying, grab some great food right after the parade. Another tradition. I know. And don't forget the Brown Ale Library annual Memorial Day book sale is open and ready for business. There are so many books there, so please over the course of the morning head on over and do some shopping. There's children's books, there's adult books, there's gardening, there's fiction, you name it. It's going to be there all during the parade and there's also books for sale in the book sale room in the basement of the Brown Ale Library. So be sure to take your family over there before you leave for the day. And also right around this area especially, I mean come on, there's so many great places to grab a snack if you want one. I just grabbed breakfast at Firebird this morning. It was awesome. And a sandwich from Martins for lunch is the perfect thing to have on Memorial Day. Get a sandwich of Martins it'll last you three days. Those things be any bigger. They're little Dagwood sandwiches, absolutely. Well I'm looking forward Marcus to seeing all of the high school bands and middle school bands we're going to be seeing today and we're going to be seeing some girl scouts and some boy scouts. Who are you looking forward to? I'm looking forward to collecting candy actually. My dentist isn't appreciating it but I'm looking forward to it. Look, I look forward to everybody coming out and really celebrating a day like today. I was in the Air Force. I was in the 30th Civil Engineering Squadron in Vandenberg Air Force Base. Well thank you for your service. Well thank you. I appreciate that. But you know the thing about it is that what I learned from that experience was community. And then I came to this place Essex and Essex Junction and learned even more about community. And on a day like today to see all these people lined up all the way down the road there, all the way down Pearl Street, this is an amazing sight to see as we celebrate the lives of those people who gave it all in order to keep us safe and of course always to allow us to come together in the spirit of community. Still waiting on the parade? Still coming? Can we get a check-in check-in here? We have a great group, a great team of radio operators that are keeping us informed about how the parade is going, where it's going. Hopefully down the street. The parade is assembling in the field behind the Champlain Valley Exposition which is where they hang out every year. They set up, they line up and they proceed in an orderly fashion out of the Fairground Gates and down Route 2A Lincoln Street right here to five corners. So we're waiting on them to get assembled. So it's still okay for you to be crossing the street and looking for that perfect spot but pretty soon you're going to have to settle in and watch this wonderful parade. You know Marcus, I usually treat Memorial Day weekend as a really quiet, just kind of fun weekend. I kick it off with the parade every year because it's my favorite thing of the year and then it's just like sunshine, gardening, barbecue. What do you do on Memorial Day weekend? I do all the same things except gardening. Not much of a leader but this is this is going to be everybody's nightmare right now. They've given me time and a microphone. Look I love Memorial Day weekend because it just whether I'm in this community and I always come to this parade but then I go to the other communities who are also doing parades this weekend and just watching all these communities come together it's just it's an amazing sight to see and again honor so many great people. That's right. But again as Elaine said this is still a great opportunity to find a great spot. As a matter of fact I see an open spot right next to this lamppost here. I mean there's definitely time to squeeze some folks in. There's folks still coming down main street coming to find a seat. You know Marcus when I was a kid you know I was born in New Jersey and I came to Vermont a long time ago and it was the best decision I ever made and my dad we didn't have a lot of parades like this in my community in New Jersey but my dad was a world war two vet my brother was a Vietnam vet and my dad was also a police officer for many years and you know this is also a day to remember those who have served us in our community protection our fire departments our police departments our rescue workers there's a whole team of volunteers in this community that keeps us safe every single day and we are so grateful to them for their service. Thank you for bringing up your family's service it's wonderful to hear that and and so often I hear that in regards to the lineage of so many families my father was a Vietnam war veteran his father was a world war two vet so on and on our families keep giving each and every generation in order to keep us being able to enjoy days like this and come together in wonderful community and by the way there they are some blue lights which indicates the beginning of the parade it's coming up over the hill there here it comes down the street so it's coming all right as they approach get that clapping that cheering loud so that you know that you're here and welcoming them into the community we're going to be seeing some wonderful we're going to see our parade marshals coming up first we're going to see a case on we're going to remember our veterans and our our past on service members who have died in service to this country and then we're going to get to the floats and the bands and all that fun stuff I do want to take a quick second too to also just remind people to keep in mind as you're thinking about those veterans who we've lost in service to our country that veterans still need their support after their time of service and as I'm wearing this shirt today for the josh pilata fund I continually am reminded the fact that veterans still come home still have wounds seen and unseen and unfortunately some give a sacrifice not on the battlefield but right here in our backyard too many veterans are lost every day I hope that you will keep veterans in your mind and in your hearts and you'll reach out to them to make sure that they're okay because losing 22 every day is far too many and their families as well the sacrifice of families whose loved ones are off in other countries fighting wars coming home injured coming or not coming home it's a huge burden on families mothers and fathers and children and it's something we need to support amongst our community we're all here together supporting each other first case on is making its way it'll be here at the curve of five corners any moment so make sure you take a seat hope everybody brought sunscreen today and some hats and umbrellas I'm looking forward to when the parade is in full swing and we'll have all the folks on the sides of the roads with the bags of candy and I understand Lieutenant Governor Zuckerman is here maybe he'll bring carrots today because you did that last year yeah that's right we all got carrots that was awesome I think they made a great sound later that day for me this first division is sponsored by S6 Memorial Day Parade Committee and the VFW post 6689 thank you so much hello sxpd we always start the parade off with the case on being pulled by horses driven by staff of mountains edge farm the case on represents the fallen soldiers we are honoring today look at those beautiful horses a solemn reminder of some give all all give some and some give all and right here you see the Vermont Army National Guard they're driving in one of their Humvees soldiers are First Lieutenant Benjamin Chris First Lieutenant Joel Rice Bright and Sergeant Sobica Sobica Sanio thank you and here is our first grand marshal Ron Prevy after graduating from sx high school in 1960 Ron Prevy enlisted in the U.S. Army he spent his three years of service in training standing ready to answer the nation's call if needed Ron was assigned to armored tanks and was trained as both a driver and a gunner he's been married for 52 years to Diana his father of Sean and Nikki and grandfather to six grandchildren he's lived in the same house in Essex Junction for the last 52 years he's proud of our country proud he's served and proud of others who serve congratulations Ron and our other grand marshal Peter Furkey after graduating from sx high school in 1981 Peter Furkey enlisted in the U.S. Army during high school he was one of the original members of the junior ROTC program Peter was active duty in full time with the guard for 23 years retiring as a colonel in 2015 he served overseas in Italy Afghanistan Macedonia and Senegal he earned multiple awards including the Legion of Merit Ron Starve service in Afghanistan and humanitarian service medal Peter has been married to his wife Laura for 34 years has two daughters Emily and Eva he has been associated with the armed forces in some capacity for the last 41 years congratulations to Peter congratulations to both our grand marshals thank you for your service and thank you for participating in our parade this year and honoring us as being marshals and thanks and you saw that banner at the at the tail end of that particular division the city of Essex Junction the town of Essex come together to make this parade possible in so many ways including financial support and efforts by our public works police and fire we thank them all for making this possible today coming down the way is our next division just going to kick off with a marching band which is going to be great I hear music I hear drumming we're going to see a lot of marching bands today but we're going to start off with the hometown band which is great this division is going to be sponsored by the Caitlyn Raymond State Farm Insurance and Sunray Fire and Security thank you to our banner bearers Essex High School cheerleaders and sports teams members and thank you to our wonderful committee of volunteers that the wonderful Heidi Clark here keeping us organized as we go through the parade sometimes we have last minute editions which is always kind of fun new folks joining the parade each division has a sponsor this one Caitlyn Raymond State Farm Insurance and Sunray Fire and Security we thank them for their support of today's Memorial Day parade looks like also Vermont Central Vacuum right there on the banner too thank you so much the parade is put together like we've said before by volunteers but also local businesses and we can't really pull it off without their support and without your supporting them so thank you for that who's going to name the song first name that tune the Essex Westford School District marching band is slowly approaching now i got a quick question for them for people who are in band i love the tuba but i can't imagine walking this whole thing with a carrying a tuba i think it requires a lot of strength and endurance to be in the band all the marching holding your instrument up the whole time maybe it's just and playing maybe it's just me and you know if i was younger i might feel that way i can't walk and shoot gum at the same time so walking and playing an instrument at the same time is beyond me these kids are amazing let's listen to the Essex Westford School District marching band give them a round of applause remember to come see the band throughout the year they've got performances happening all year long and today they're obviously saluting our country's service men and women today's band is made up with students from both Essex High School and A.D. Lawton Middle School school district marching band approaching now is VFW post 6689 the poppy princess and VFW post 6689 commander Roger Bressard we saw Roger this morning place the wreath of honor at the memorial at the memorial here at five corners thank you happy memorial day congratulations poppy princess i always have had tons of those poppies on my rearview mirror supporting the VFW veterans memorial association and Governor Phil Scott the CVWA consists of former and current members of the U.S. military who have served in theaters of conflict they share a love of riding motorcycles and helping veterans and their families in times of need their motto is veterans helping veterans thank you makes me want to ride today coming up here is the Donald Cook Detachment Marine Corps League they are proud to be a sponsor of the annual Toys for Kids program to make Christmas merry for Vermont children be sure to watch for their red barrels next Christmas great to see you thank you so much for coming out and now we see the American Legion post 91 from Colchester the American Legion is a home away from home for active and retired veterans and their families it's mission is to supply a comradeship fellowship and a purpose in the life of a veteran and the community in which they live up next the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 829 proud to represent all of American military personnel who are and have served to defend our freedoms may God bless America and right now you're seeing a 1965 Vietnam Merit Jeep driven by Eric D. Kenoff this Vietnam Merit Jeep is a 1965 M151A1 a quarter ton military unit tactical truck or mud the M151 series served U.S. troops up until the mid 1980s and was utilized by over 100 friendly countries with some still in service today sons of union veterans of the civil war standard camp major general George J. Standard Camp of the Sons of Union veterans of the civil war proudly honor the men who saved the union from 1861 to 1865 they're online at standardcamp.org or on Facebook at Standard Camp VT is the Essex Junction fire department providing fire and EMS support services for the city of Essex Junction and mutual aid support to our neighboring communities and there's Chief Gaborio in the driver's seat and all of our amazing wonderful fire trucks thanks guys and ladies for your service all the Essex Fire Department volunteers our fire department is entirely volunteer based thank you for keeping us safe and here comes our next division sponsored by the Essex Junction Lions Club since 1947 the Essex Junction Lions have assisted with eyeglass and hearing aid requests Lions conduct vision screenings and the five core service areas are diabetes environment hunger relief pediatric cancer and vision and they were instrumental in the creation of this beautiful veterans memorial here at Five Corners that's 10 years old this year Essex Junction recreation and parks preschool is a fully licensed five-star accredited preschool program serving children ages three to five located in the heart of Essex Junction at Park Street School EJRP will enter preschool will enter it's 15th year this fall Marcus you're not supposed to get the candy I'm not sorry oh you're so sweet to me thank you Marcus is an EJRP kid at heart I got pixie sticks approaching now is Bob Bishop of Jericho with this 1990 Chevy truck nice wheels and here's the therapy dogs of Vermont a non-profit organization of highly trained dogs and their volunteer handlers they work with people in hospitals schools correctional facilities and so much more great dogs can do great work in our community and here's the Essex Fire Department celebrating 50 years of service to the town of Essex this year they would like to thank their residents for all of their support over the years hey neighbor I've always loved the black and red fire trucks in the town of Essex they are some handsome fire trucks very very cool again another volunteer fire department without all these volunteers we could not be safe thank you so much we are all super lucky to have such incredible fire departments in our community what great trucks thanks Essex Fire Department aren't they gorgeous yeah this next division is sponsored by the Champlain Valley Exposition Vermont's premier special event center and also the starting base for our entire parade and our ending place for the parade the virgin's union high school Commodore marching band proud to represent the town's of ferrisburg virgin's Panton, Waltham and Addison in supporting our country's service men and women that is one sharp looking band right there hospital is your full service children's hospital here when you need them they give thanks to all the men and women that are or have served here comes the blue spruce Grange 574 proud to be able to show respect and honor to our veterans both past and present the Grange is a fraternal organization with a long history of supporting farmers and the agricultural agricultural industry supporting burn care research at the Shriners hospital today they are not dressed as clowns in respect for our veterans and here comes representatives from Essex rescue who's been proudly caring for our community since 1971 they're always looking to grow their EMS family if you've ever wanted to be an EMT or get back to the community check out their website to learn more about how to get involved thank you to the Essex rescue thank you Essex rescue our next division is sponsored by A.W. Rich funeral home and Essex VFW post 6689 we have the the Mount Sinai number three motorcycle unit performing in parades to raise money for the Shriners children's hospitals the unit likes to thank all veterans for their service no man stands so tall as when he stups to help a child Shriners riding in formation they're always a fun part of our parade every year thank you Shriners I don't know which one I'm supposed to like more than the motorcycles or the bear coming up is the Regal gymnastics academy the athletes of regal gymnastics salute all the soldiers who have bravely fought and given their lives for our freedom they thank you today and remember you always look at these amazing athletes there's a lot of champions come out of regal gymnastics nice job yeah not me no not gonna see that for me either but you look great we should all be flipping like this on memorial day it's a great day to do some flips and celebrate that's awesome great job fabulous it's great to see so many athletes coming from regal gymnastics and doing all this amazing work thanks everybody great job regal gymnastics there's so many athletes they have a bus for them the Burlington Elks Lodge is proud to be in this year's parade the Elks pledge so long as there are veterans the order of Elks will never forget them today Elks provide support to more than one million veterans each year across our country thank you Elks really great to see so many communities come here you know the Burlington Elks virgins we've seen already I saw a group from Brattleboro earlier today it's going to be awesome all over Vermont and now we're joined by WPTZ-TV NBC5 News the NBC5 Weather Lab is Vermont's only weather station on wheels helping Tyler and team deliver their weather rates certified most accurate forecast over this beautiful weekend NBC5 News remembers all service members who've made the ultimate sacrifice there's a truck from Underhill Jericho Fire Department our neighbor is so great to have you here joining us today for our parade mutual aid is no joke we can't protect each other without helping each other so thank you Jericho Underhill for being part of our mutual aid system what's that sound we've got more coming but there's a little gap here in case people you know quick trains is we've got a new division coming up sponsored by SB signs during some conflicting noises Marcus I'm hearing some modern sounds and some really ancient sounds and that's a really nice thing about the parade is everything comes together oh that's what I forgot I forgot my kilt this year nobody wants it it's always next year nobody has to so in case you're wondering how we keep track of the parade and as it's coming down the road we get help from radio amateurs of northern Vermont the radio amateurs of northern Vermont promote amateur radio in our area their members are providing key communications for the safe and efficient running of our parade contact them at ranv.org and thanks for helping us make the parade happen you can't do it without you wouldn't be a parade without little cars now coming down the way is the catamount pipe band it's going to be awesome oh I love this part every year probably one of my favorite listen to that the catamount pipe band an intergenerational organization dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of Celtic music tradition and culture they are northern new england northern new england's premier pipe band it can be seen at events all across Vermont thank you catamount pipe band we're now joined by the cub scout pack 630 s extension's own pack 630 is excited to be marching in today's memorial day parade the cub scout motto is to do your best and these kids work hard every day at being the best citizens and future leaders that they can be for our community go cub scout and right here is Thompson towing Thompson towing LLC out of Milton servicing the area and more you can give them a call 24 7365 days a year for simple service towing and recovery needs thanks Thompson for supporting the parade great to see you and here's Essex Chargers football you know it's getting to be spring and summer when the lawn signs start popping up for sign up for Essex football we're going to see these kids on the field in high school and college real soon I see candy being dispensed thanks guys and here's our Chittenden sheriff's office sergeant Brian Welch Chittenden county sheriff's office and Dan Gamlin sheriff now we're seeing the McFadden Academy of Irish dance the McFadden is honored to be a part of the Essex Memorial Day Parade all gave some some gave all and they hope to give you the fun and energy and pride of their dance school thank you to all who have served our country oh look at that and following up right behind beautiful Volkswagen bus look at that the photo booth planet proud to be owned by descendants of officers in every major wars since 1776 including the owner's father who has retired three-star army general throw a party for your guests they'll never forget photo booth planet now we're joined by brownie girl scout troop 61845 part of the girl scouts of the green and white mountains local girl scout brownie troop 61845 thanks all our servicemen and women who have helped and continue to safeguard our country they also thank you for your support this past cookie season the girls have been learning how to be future leaders good job girls thanks for the cookies now before this is s6 youth hockey association built a program that demonstrates a commitment to making hockey accessible for all season highlights include new uniforms advanced skills state championships for 12 ut4 co-ed and 14 new girls thank you veterans this division of floats is brought to us today by maple hearse florist right behind brown all library over there they've been in the city as a generation's own business for going on 100 years I think it's been a long time little pause in the action here but I still hear drums coming we've got plenty more to come there we go hockey player coming through coming through all right is everybody having fun yeah everybody got candy I heard a couple of people maybe not but now there's more coming there's a float contest on the in the parade I don't know if you're aware of this Marcus but like they vote on the best floats after everything's over and the best floats get a prize but like here's one that is pretty darn impressive I have to say look at this float this is cattle mount cattle mount realty group honored to be a part of the parade and they'd like to thank all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country that is an impressive looking float what a helicopter and coming up is this beautiful truck oh what a beauty from the foresight family and friends this 1950 Ward LaFrance originally was in service in Lambertville New Jersey where it served the Irish section of the community it's been privately owned for over 30 years and has participated in many parades and private celebrations great to see you thank you so much for coming out what a beautiful beautiful fire truck comes every year you know my favorite float root beer root beer I saw that coming dad jokes all right all right this division coming up is sponsored by Vermont Systems and Don Hamlin consulting engineers what you're starting to hear is the Hannaford's Fife and Drum Corps originating out of St. Albans this corps is named after Captain Nathaniel Hannaford a Fifer and Drum major in the war of 1812 Hannaford's were established to keep the history of America alive through music another one of my favorite parts of the parade joined today by the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks the Civil War Hemlocks honor the soldiers of the Civil War leading the organization is the honor guard and then two Civil War cannons and a Civil War traveling forge please give a welcome to the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks the war of hemlocks was some really great artillery from the Civil War era the war of the parade always a wonderful time for history along with all the remembrances here comes the Essex Cub Scout Pack 635 they salute our country's servicemen and women Cub Scouts serve our community during cleanup day provide educational adventures for the community's youth check them out at pack635.org the float i think we're gonna like the northeast is coming and they've got soda i was kind of thinking i needed a coke right now now i'm messing around with the rigs wow check this out Coca-Cola northeast would like to honor honor all american veterans who gave their lives and sacrificed to our nation legacy nice shiny red trucks you can park that truck at my house a freestyle machine i'll take one and now the Coca-Cola is followed by a 1934 Ford owned by usn veteran can arms of Essex it's a nice looking tractor there and again we have to thank our joining communities wonderful communities that support each other from the wilson fire department engine number three right here our next division is sponsored by many friends and john leo all right this next car might be a little goofy i happen to know this group star 92.9 home of mike and mary in the morning your favorite summer feel good music all day mike's arney right there oh look there's a man to leave nice oh ken great to see you thanks for coming out and so we love about the parade we always see our friends here miss vermont 2023 yamuna turco a sophomore at st michaels college and miss vermont team 2023 ginger raga ishish a resident of manchester vermont and a junior at bern bern academy both young women won their new titles last month in stout welcome miss vermont scholarship organization and just catching up mary scentsy from star 92.9 i figured you'd have been at the front of the back here great to see you mary come on smoke the view following up it's the lol jugglers this juggling troop from windham pristine academy and windham main these seventh and eighth graders perform a vaudeville style show throughout the school year which cumul which culminates with a four-day performing tour of the burlington area each may now that is impressive all right nice job all i can juggle is erin's now we're joined by the vermont ravens vermont's only semi pro football team comprised of adults playing full contact football in the n e f l a nonprofit organized in 2007 home games are at south burlington high school on sunday afternoons please for more information visit vermont ravens dot com here comes spalaeans towing and recovery they've been a family run business since the 1970s helping people with all their motive automotive needs they're quick responders to stressful situations we appreciate your help in our community thank you this division is sponsored by the sx rotary club cotarians do so much good work in our community it's good to see you all here the winter coat drive and the golf tournament and the hockey tournament all right everybody got their stuff for ant dots place matt loves in real estate and sx rotary thank the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their freedom they remember the heroes who courageously gave their lives and they thank you for today donating to ant dots who support food insecurity in our community and make a huge difference thank you so much thank you those remarks is groceries that i just took credit for them thank you for collecting hey there's Tim gendron thanks for working on food security in our community i'm going to hear some wonderful music from vermont field music fight and drum corps they were organized in 2016 and they have played many events throughout new england and new york the uniforms are from the civil war era and they welcome new members for more information visit their facebook page vermont field music and fight and drum corps fan whiting here comes queen and carried by king fred and vermont auto teaching and preserving the history of automobiles these are some wonderful folks if you're shopping for books the brown ale library has informed us that they're now moving on to their buck a bag book sale you cannot get enough books for a buck bring it go out head on over bring your stroller you have a backpack so head on over and stock up now well i think the civil air patrol for being here today the civil air patrols mission to support america's communities with emergency response diverse aviation and ground services youth development and promotion of air space and cyber power through aerospace aerospace education here comes the people from 95 triple x our hometown hit station kwami afternoons love it great to see you kwami now this division is sponsored by the s6 agency and we're joined now by the chittenden county democrats and let's see who we have here democrats there's kate representative kate newton representative emily crass zuckerman thanks for joining us we were hoping secretary state seara koblin hands this is here with us today and attorney general charity collective officials for coming out of ways you can exercise the freedom that was one for you is by voting and being a part of your democracy so thank you for scanning up and running for office and for serving there comes sundry reed redder honoring this occasion commemorating all gave some some gave all our military especially our vermont fallen heroes and families of our vermont fallen will never be forgotten all right right heading into the home stretch of our parade but we still have a lot of great stuff to come about the chicken barbecue lunch right after the parade at the vf at the american legion yeah if i leave early just because i'm getting to the front of the line there's also going to be cotton candy and toys for sale by the fire department the brown in the library book sale is still happening they're down a buck a bag they don't have any bags left but you can bring your backpack or your stroller whatever you have with you all for a dollar so current dr. pepper is a proud supporter and employer of our servicemen and women they salute our troops today and every day to learn more about current dr. pepper and their opportunities and sx and wilson you can visit curate drpepper dot com treasurer mike peach act is joining us another wonderful elected statewide official it's hard to make it through the parade there's a lot of hands to shake and now we're joined by chitlin county republicans join with fellow citizens to honor fallen soldiers and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice they recognize the courage and reflect on importance of freedom that fought they fought so hard to preserve again we're seeing more of those decorative floats there's a contest there's a contest on the float that's going to be another one it's going to get a lot of votes yep all right now we're joined by the Lawrence family farms proud to support our community with local grown meats they're beyond thankful for the men and women who have served and who serve our community to give us the freedoms we share today we come together to thank them and now we're joined by spare time entertainment and family fun center in colchester they appreciate all of our men and women who have served our country protecting our freedom come by any time to enjoy their new arcade laser tag escape rooms 30 bowling lanes restaurant and bar i like a little laser tag every once in a while there comes that 1929 Ford model eight town sedan driven by Gary Irish that's a beauty Robert Donald is here he's a veteran of the U.S. Army and he loves to create miniatures of life-sized vehicles you can check them out in his youtube cartwheels and cars coming soon and my former radio station Houston WVMT am 6 20 FM 96 3 with my former morning show cause Kurt Wright and right behind WVMT is a Reynolds family anti-farm tractors 1946 John Deere a driven by Cindy Reynolds 1939 farm all f-20 driven by Carl Jupan 1944 farm all H driven by Mark Uker and a 1952 Ford a n driven by Mickey Boyer those are some nice looking tractors right there now we're coming into our last division sponsored by cornerstone construction Inc and Aspen East stables leading off as cornerstone construction Aspen East stables are uh which is provided 30 years of quality building in Vermont Aspen East stables probably provides equine healing for veterans and now we're joined by 101.3 the wolf the wolf is your home for everything country they are commercial free four hours a day Monday through Friday from 10 to noon with Tara Madison and from 430 to 630 for the commercial free drive home with Rick Logan so there's Rick right there and 13 or 12 I kick it and our last division was sponsored by the New England Federal Credit Union the Essex Rotary Club coming up right here Mark Barbeque Josh's house Mark Barbeque a veteran on business who is rooted in the community and giving back with food and toy drives Josh's house as a veteran charity allowing veterans a safe place to come and be with one another there she is Val Pallott look at look at it Val this is Val the Pallotta fund supporting veterans and Mark Barbeque some of the very best barbecue that can be found anywhere in Vermont see a lot of friends here thanks for your sponsorship of love these jeeps they look great great to see you thank you to Josh's house and the Josh Pallotta fund and now we're looking at the Mount Sinai number three motor corp that's great you saved the best for last the motor corp rides so that kids may walk the Shriners hospitals treat children regardless of the family's ability to pay Shriners hospitals are loved to the rescue I love these things now if you all drive up over the car was that still happen yeah we get we're gonna get to see the ramp go come on the ramp go well ladies and gentlemen that brings our wonderful Memorial Day parade to its conclusion wrapping up the parade with the Shriners and the Essex Police Department listen you'll see the police escort from Essex Police Department here at the end make sure you give them some more applause and some more cheers because of the exceptional support on today's parade and we'd like to thank all of the volunteers that made this parade possible the Essex Junction Public Works Department the Essex Fire Department the Essex Junction Fire Department Essex Police Department parks and rec parks and recreation every department every personnel we have around both town and the city really coming together to make this possible thank you so much for your support thank you for coming out to this year's parade everybody have a wonderful weekend enjoy this beautiful day and thank you all veterans for serving don't forget to stop at the Brown Hill Library book sale it's still going on there's a chicken barbecue lunch at the American Legion and thank you again for coming out and celebrating on this gorgeous Memorial Day