Ever since she was very little, Lily Hostetter wanted to be a poppy princess in the Bainbridge Memorial Day Parade. It was a dream of her father, Mike, to see his daughter raise money for veterans through selling poppies and then participate in the parade. Mike was killed in a car accident in 2018 when Lily was just 7 years old, but the Bainbridge Elementary School student was determined to fulfill her dad's wishes. She'll be one of four poppy kids in this year's parade, to be held on Monday, May 30, beginning at 9 a.m.
"Lily's dad had a lot of military friends and friends who were veterans," said Lily's mom, Alicia. "She was raised to be very patriotic. When we first moved to Bainbridge in 2013, we saw this poppy competition and Mike thought it was the most amazing thing. He just couldn't wait for this year to get here. ... Lily decided that she wanted to do it still in memory of her father."
Lily has been going door to door in Bainbridge asking for donations and has contacted local businesses as well. Not only does she want to sell the most poppies and be crowned Poppy Queen at the end of the parade, but she would also like to sell the most poppies ever of all past participants.
"We've walked around in the rain with our umbrellas, selling poppies," Alicia said. "Lily has been reaching out to everyone she knows. She's very passionate about this, and she's very close to her goal."
Lily will be joined in the parade by the other poppy kids - Mailyha Brady, Josie Neefe and Cayden McFadden. Proceeds from poppy sales will be donated to the Lebanon VA Medical Center.
The parade is sponsored by the American Legion Post 197 and will feature the Bainbridge Band, local veterans and more, said Gina Mariani, parade coordinator. "We're a true hometown parade," she stated. "We have a really tight-knit group of people who participate every year. We also have a bike decorating contest, and we get about 20 or 30 little kids on bikes they've decorated."
The parade will leave from Bainbridge Elementary School and head south on Second Street to the Bainbridge Cemetery. At the cemetery, retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Emrick will be the featured speaker. "We'll also decorate veterans' graves," Mariani noted. The public is invited to a community picnic at the Bainbridge Fire Hall, 34 S. Second St., following the ceremony.
For more information, contact Mariani at 717-278-8484.
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