The Merricks remember the fallen on Memorial Day

Judging by the hundreds of participants in the Merricks’ annual Memorial Day parade, and the spectators who thronged the sidewalks on Merrick Avenue, you would have thought half of the community turned out for the annual procession on Monday, and you might have been right.

No doubt, the sunny skies and 70-something temperatures attracted one of the Merricks’ largest Memorial Day crowds. The parade, hosted by Merrick American Legion Post 1282, got under way promptly at 9:30 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Plaza, formerly Broadcast Plaza, beside the Long Island Rail Road station at Merrick Avenue and Sunrise Highway. From there, the procession headed north on Merrick Avenue to Veterans Memorial Park, just north of Camp Avenue.

The parade was led, as always, by current members of the armed forces and veterans, including members of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Jewish War Veterans. Also taking part in the parade was the Merrick Kiwanis Club, which passed out American flags to spectators, along with the Merrick Chamber of Commerce, the Merrick and North Merrick fire departments, Daisies, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Little Leaguers, and marching bands from the Progressive School of Long Island in North Merrick, the Merrick and North Merrick elementary school districts, Merrick Avenue Middle School and Calhoun High School.

A short, solemn ceremony remembering America’s war dead followed the parade.