NAHANT — The town has already started planning for its Memorial Day Parade, which returns after a pandemic-driven, two-year hiatus.
In lieu of holding its traditional parade on Memorial Day, Town Administrator Antonio Barletta said the town held smaller ceremonies at Greenlawn Cemetery in 2020 and 2021; these ceremonies kept in spirit with its annual parade, which was to honor those who have died in military service, he said.
“It’s been two years since the town has been able to celebrate Memorial Day traditionally, due to the pandemic,” Barletta said. “Being able to kick off the summer with the traditional event in a pre-pandemic style is exciting and we are looking forward to it.”
Ed Manzano, acting chair of the Nahant Memorial Day Committee, which plans the parade, said the town tradition dates back to 1887; this year will mark the parade’s 135-year anniversary, he said.
Various town departments and community organizations assist the committee with parade planning, including the town administrator’s office, Department of Public Safety, Department of Public Works, Town Clerk’s office, Greenlawn Cemetery Commission, Johnson Elementary School, Nahant Historical Society, Nahant Garden Club, and the local Girl Scouts troop, Manzano said.
The decision to bring back the parade was made last month. In a typical year, this decision would have been made in January, Manzano said.
“Due to the fluidity of public-health concerns and restrictions, no final decision was made to have a parade until the end of February,” Manzano said. “This year, planning has been collapsed into March, April, and May to meet Memorial Day planning and commitments.”
Invitations were sent to past participants in February, and responses started coming into the committee this month, Manzano said.
“Some of our past year’s participants are unavailable this year due to prior commitments, but we’ve recovered a number of our past participants,” he said. “It will be good.”
The parade will also feature participation from a local sixth-grade student, who was selected to read the Gettysburg Address at the Greenlawn Cemetery, where the parade route will end.
