Rain doesn’t dampen spirits at Valley Stream parade
View many more photos from the parade here.
Marilyn Moscola said she couldn’t help but exclaim “God Bless America” as members of Boy Scout Troop 116 handed out miniature American flags to parade-goers lining Rockaway Avenue last Saturday. The 40-year resident said seeing the members of the Valley Stream Fire Department march in unison behind the boys was equally stirring.
“It’s just a beautiful thing,” she said. “You feel such a sense of pride in these dedicated young men and women. They support each other, but we should support them for serving the community.”
In spite of cloudy skies and on-and-off rain showers, hundreds of Valley Streamers and others gathered for the 3rd Battalion parade hosted by the Valley Stream Fire Department, an invitational that commemorated the centennial of Engine Company No. 1.
Chief Joseph Fernandez, a member of Engine 341 and 33-year veteran of the department, said 25 departments coming from across Long Island and as far as Oneonta accepted their invitation to participate in the parade. More than 1,000 firefighters marched, bringing their musical groups and apparatus.
The parade drew departments from other states, including the East Stroudsburg Fire Department based in Pennsylvania. Billy Miller, a retired chief, said members of his department have been in communication with Valley Streamers since 1955 when the department helped the Pennsylvania firefighters manage a flood.
Miller said his department made the journey to Long Island and presented Fernandez with a plaque to commemorate Engine 341’s 100th year of service and show respect for their Long Island friends. “It’s good to be a part of any celebration for these people that we share a common bond with,” he said. “This is a brotherhood and a sisterhood, and we are joined together by the common cause of saving lives.”
