1975-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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TOWN CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE marshal and his staff. The Motorola Company loaned us several walkie - talkie units for the parade staff. Their use contributed significantly to the orderly assembly and execution of the parade. The head of the parade left the assembly area at 2:00 P.M. right on schedule. There were a few differences from previous years beside the increased size of the parade. The reviewing stand for the first time was in front of the visitors center and considerably enlarged to accomodate our much larger guest list. Five divisions (rather than the usual four) made up the parade. Each division contained several representatives of each type of marching unit; in the past, each division contained, for example, only military units, colonial groups, or similar types of participants. Similar- ly, floats were distributed throughout the parade. There were no pieces of fire apparatus in the parade because most cities and towns that usually send them were committed to mutual aid programs that left no apparatus available. Considering its size, the parade moved briskly over its route with no significant delays and resulting gaps. It was made up of 134 marching units of which 29 came from Lexington; 17 floats were made by Lexington organiza- tions. Chamber of Commerce float first place prizes went to St. Brigids Cub Scout Pack 160 in the youth division, the Lexington Lodge of Elks in the civic division and to Mal's Towing Service in the commercial division. Many out -of -town floats, although not eligible for awards, contributed much interest to the parade. OTHER CELEBRATIONS Captain John McDonough, Lexington Fire Department, commanded the Memorial Day parade with Firefighters Francis Belcastro and Leonard Muller as his aides. Veterans and the Lexington Minute Men made their customery visit to Westview Cemetery before the parade. After it left the assembly area at Munroe School, the parade made its first stop at Munroe Cemetery where Mark Doran read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Ruth Strauss, vice - president, class of 1975, Lexington High School, read General Logan's orders -of- the -day for the first Memorial Day. After stops at Cary Hall and the Olde Burying Ground, the parade assembled on the Battle Green where Colonel Ronald E. Byrne, USAF, Hanscom AFB, and Viet Nam prisoner -of -war, gave the address for the day. The Veterans Day parade, under the command of Jerome F. Garrity, Commander, Post 3007, Veterans of Foreign Wars, left Munroe School at 10:00 A.M. His aides were Colonel Henry J. Hurley, USAF (Ret), Joseph 0. Rooney, USMCR, and Harold Rycroft, American Legion. Ralph J. Canina, Past State Commander, V.F.W., gave the principal address at the Battle Green ceremonies. CONCLUSION There seems to be little point in detailing all of the people, depart- ments, organizations, participants, and companies that contributed so magnificently of their time and resources to make the bicentennial Patriots Day the success we believe it was. T.C.C. helps by coordinating those contributions but without them, we're in a hopeless situation. The list would go on endlessly and there isn't room in the annual report to include it. We can only say thank you and hope it gets to the people who deserve our thanks so much. Raymond B. Barnes, Chairman Edward F. Turner William P. Fitzgerald Raymond J. Flynn Leo Gaughan, Vice Chairman William P. Brenchick, Jr. Ruth M. Mitchell Eleanor B. Litchfield Hildagarde McGonagle 13