For 120 years, Maytown has honored veterans with a Memorial Day parade. The early parades were sponsored by the Order of United American Mechanics, but after World War II, the American Legion Post 809 became the sponsor. This year's parade will be held on Monday, May 30, beginning at 4 p.m. It's part of a full day of activities in Maytown.
The 59th annual Antique, Art, Craft and Collectible Show will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on East High Street. Sponsored by the Donegal Post 809 Ladies Auxiliary, the event will feature approximately 50 vendors. Food will be available for purchase, including fried vegetables and chicken corn soup. The auxiliary will have a stand selling engraved bricks to honor veterans in Maytown Square.
Beginning at 1 p.m., the community is invited to help decorate veterans' graves, said Janie Garber, parade coordinator. "We'll start at Maytown Reformed Church, and we'll have a ceremony at each cemetery," she stated, noting that members of the Bainbridge Band will play a selection at each location.
The parade will kick off from North King Street and will proceed through town before ending at Maytown Square, where a ceremony will be held. The theme of this year's parade is "Maytown Remembers." "We have four bands participating in the parade and 25-plus floats, plus fire trucks and local EMS and the Zembo mini cars," Garber noted. "We'll also have many honored veterans in the parade."
The grand marshal will be Charles Johns, who has lived in Maytown for 57 years and is a longtime member of the American Legion. He served in the Air Force from 1958 to 1962. The poppy princess will be Vianna Brydon, a senior at Donegal High School. She is the daughter of Danny and Janet Love. Danny served in the military for 20 years. The featured speaker at the ceremony in the square will be Joseph Gallagher, a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Air Force. His speech is titled "All Gave Some, Some Gave All." The Bainbridge Band will perform a medley of music at the square, and Post 809 commander Scott Mackison will read a list of Maytown veterans who have passed away.
"We always get a lot of good feedback on the day," Garber said. "People tell us it was very memorable, very moving and very veteran-oriented."
For more information, search for "Maytown Memorial Day Parade" on Facebook.
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