As most people are gearing up for a stress-free weekend, over 65 groups, ranging from marching bands to Shriners on go-karts, are getting ready for the town of Bethlehem’s annual Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 26, at 11 a.m.
As one of the few remaining towns to hold a Memorial Day celebration on the actual day, Bethlehem stands out among locals as a parade that, as Chamber of Commerce President and former grand marshal of the parade Marty DeLaney believes, brings together the community.
The Bethlehem parade is full of a variety of people and professions: little league teams, fife and drum corps, police officers, marching bands, various different classic cars and the ever-present honking of ambulance and fire trucks.
Parade Chairman Don Geurtze said that the parade route is full, pointing out that last year the last parade group was leaving from the American Legion Post to start the parade as the first group was ending the parade.
Everyone is well organized and ready, said Geurtze about the preparations for this year’s parade. Altogether the parade should take 45 minutes to go past any given part of the route, Geurtze said.
The grand marshal of this year’s parade is Robert Kahnle, who was chosen because of his many years of participation and dedication to the American Legion.
The parade route begins at the Elsmere Fire House and will proceed down Elsmere Avenue to a right on to Kenwood Avenue to a left on to Adams Place to a right on to Adams Street to a right on to Delaware Avenue and will end with a ceremony at the Bethlehem Veterans Memorial Park.
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