Connecticut Veterans Parade Seeks Marchers, Sponsors for Nov. 2nd Event
HARTFORD >> Calling all U.S. veterans and active military personnel from across Connecticut. The 2014 Connecticut Veterans Parade is seeking participants for this years colorful statewide parade! The 15th annual procession will step off on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 12:30 p.m. near the Connecticut State Capitol Building in Hartford and will march through the Downtown area. The Parade will take place a week before the actual federal and state observances of Veterans Day.
Approximately 3,000 people march or ride every year in the Connecticut Veterans Parade, making it the largest veterans parade in New England and one of the biggest salutes to veterans in the entire U.S. The parade honors the dedication and sacrifices of servicemen and women from all U.S. conflicts, and offers state residents the opportunity to express their thanks. Special features will include a tolling of church bells and the 1:30 p.m. Moment of Silence when the parade pauses in observance of service members who died while serving their country. One hour before the start of the parade, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park at 11:30 a.m.
This parade is a visually powerful and poignant tribute to the dedicated servicemen and women of all conflicts who stepped forward so we that can continue to enjoy our freedom, explains Paul F. Pendergast, President of the Connecticut Veterans Parade and a U.S. Air Force veteran himself. We encourage people from all corners of Connecticut and beyond to make the time to come line the streets of Downtown Hartford and say Thank You for their sacrifices.
The event is organized by a nonprofit collaboration of veterans groups, corporations, local municipalities, businesses and civic organizations. The Connecticut National Guard assists with the management of parade logistics, and the City of Hartford hosts the event. Many of the members of the Parade Planning Committee have been involved in the parade since its inception more than a decade ago.
U.S. veterans and active military personnel are encouraged to register now to march or ride. Any Connecticut resident who is an active, retired or honorably discharged member of the U.S. Armed Forces including commissioned officers, warrant officers and enlisted personnel of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserves is welcome to participate. Parade organizers also seek veterans groups, patriotic commissions, local municipalities, and marching bands and drill teams from colleges, high schools and middle schools, as well as pipe & drum and fife & drum corps from all over the state. Parade organizers also are seeking scores of volunteers to help with a variety of hands-on responsibilities, before and during the parade.
Parade organizers also seek veterans groups, patriotic commissions, local municipalities, and marching bands and drill teams from colleges, high schools and middle schools, as well as pipe & drum and fife & drum corps from all over the state. Sponsorship dollars are needed to help to pay for the operations of the parade. Sponsors can include corporations, organizations, and individual residents who wish to make a contribution to the effort. Parade organizers also are looking for volunteers to help with a variety of hands-on responsibilities, before and during the parade.
A roster of Honorary Marshals will be announced by the Connecticut Veterans Parade committee in the coming weeks.
Financial contributions to support the parade can be made on-line at www.ctveteransparade.org. Checks may be written to Connecticut Veterans Fund and mailed to Connecticut Veterans Fund, 1245 Farmington Avenue #338, West Hartford, CT 06107.
Connecticut 6th, 7th and 8th graders are invited to enter the parades Student Essay Contest to answer I Want to Say THANK YOU to a Veteran Because and the top winner will ride in the 2014 parade. The deadline for entries is Friday, September 26. Contest rules and entry form are at www.ctveteransparade.org.
The following are the parade sponsors, as of Sept. 4: The Founding Sponsor is: Aetna; Presenting Sponsor is: United Technologies. Contributing Sponsors are: the Connecticut National Guard; and the City of Hartford. Associate Sponsors are: Bank of America; and Travelers. Cooperating Sponsor is: Saslow Lufkin & Buggy, LLP. The parade is produced in cooperation with: Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs; Brad Davis; and Lamar Outdoor Advertising Hartford/Springfield. In Kind Sponsors: American Medical Response; Hartford Business Improvement District; The Hartford News; Invisible Gold Web Designs; Kelly Design Company; R2 Graphics; The Salvation Army; and TagTeam Business Partners, LLC.
To register to march or volunteer in the 2014 Connecticut Veterans Parade or learn more about becoming a parade sponsor, visit www.ctveteransparade.org or call the Parade Info Phone at 860-986-7254.
Tags: Veterans News
