PEABODY — The city has set its plans for its annual Memorial Day celebration and parade next week.
At 9:15 a.m. on Monday, May 29, veterans and other participants will assemble at Cedar Grove Cemetery and march to Veterans Memorial Park. A short memorial service will be held by the Veterans Council honoring all veterans and those who died during the past year.
Assembly for the parade starts at approximately 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Washington Street and Allens Lane. It will proceed onto Washington Street and turn left onto Main Street toward City Hall.
The parade will feature Billie Farrell, the first female commander of the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat. Farrell will march with a replica of “Old Ironsides,” as it is affectionately known, and the USS Constitution Color Guard.
She will also serve as the featured speaker for a ceremony in front of City Hall honoring the city’s fallen heroes, said Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr.’s office in a statement.
Numerous safety precautions will be in place during the parade, and distributing items will be prohibited, the council said. Nothing will be thrown to or in the direction of spectators or handed to any individuals along the parade route, according to the statement.
The host organization for this year’s parade is the Marine Corps League of Essex County, Detachment 127, commanded by Lt. Col. Joe Cole, USMC (retired).
