Everything set for Gardner’s Memorial Day ceremonies

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — The parade route has been set and residents are preparing for the Memorial Day services and festivities across the region, and in Gardner the parade will feature participants from various municipal departments and organizations. The Memorial Day parade will be broken into three separate divisions, and the parade itself will be led by the Gardner Police Department Honor Guard. The first division will be led by the Post 129 American Legion Honor Guard, with John Morrisey in charge. They will form on Greenwood Street, facing the Polish American Monument. The Gardner High School band will be next in line, under the direction of Douglas Lepisto, and will furnish the music for the first division. Following the band will be members of the Vietnam Veterans, Chapter 907, the Vietnam veterans float, the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center, and the Iwo Jima float. The second division of the parade will be led by the Polish American Veterans color guard, with John Kazinskas in charge. They will form on Pleasant Street, behind the Polish American monument. The rest of the division will form on Greenwood Place. The Gardner Middle School band, under the direction of Adam Porter, will follow and will play the music for the second division. Following the middle school band will be various city officials, led by Mayor Mark Hawke, and then the Gardner Fire Department Color Guard and Fire Department. Finishing the division will be the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies, and AWANA Scouts. The third division will be led by the VFW Post 905 color guard, with Clement Tourigny in charge. The will form at PAV Square, facing the monument. Following the veterans will be the Elm Street School band, under the direction of Michelle Heffner, and will provide the music for the third division. Marching behind the Elm Street band will be the Montachusett Vocational Technical School ROTC, the Eagles Ladies Auxiliary, the Gardner Lodge of Elks, the Gardner Lodge of Masons, and the Gardner Chapter of Demolay. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 1 on 5/24/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 124)