Participants — and Donations — Needed with Planning Underway for 2024 Wilton Memorial Day Parade

The Wilton Memorial Day volunteer parade committee is hard at work planning the 2024 parade which is planned for Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m. The committee chair is Jim Newton and this year’s theme will be “Honor Their Sacrifice.”

The parade and parade committee are independent of the town and receive no municipal funds, relying on private donations to pay the parade expenses like bagpipers, porta-johns, wreaths and flags. Donations can be made to Memorial Day Fund, P. O. Box 75, Wilton, CT 06897.

Memorial Day activities start with the Pancake Breakfast sponsored by the Wilton Kiwanis Club at the Wilton Congregational Church and end with the Memorial Service at Hillside Cemetery.

This year’s Keynote speaker will be army veteran Paul Niche, and the parade Grand Marshal will be Don Hazzard, a navy veteran.

The Committee has issued the call for parade participants. Any groups interested in marching in the parade should email Coleen Amero to receive the registration forms. Participants need to provide proof of insurance to march, and registration forms are due by Friday, May 17.

American Legion Post 86 will place flags on the graves of veterans in all Wilton cemeteries. Residents who know of a veteran grave that does not have a flag should email Post 86.

The Parade Committee is also seeking the names of veterans who have passed away since last year’s parade in June 2023 so that they can be honored during this years’ Memorial Service at Hillside Cemetery. Anyone who knows of a Wilton veteran who has passed away during this timeframe should forward the name, birth date, death date and branch of service to Jeff Turner via email.

Anyone who has served at least one day on active duty in the Armed Forces since Dec. 7, 1941 is eligible to join the American Legion. The Wilton American Legion Post is actively seeking any new members who have served and have moved to Wilton. Visit the post website to fill out an application or e-mail for more information.

The committee organizers would also like to remind the public that Memorial Day is a day to remember service members who have passed on, whether in service or afterwards. They emphasize that it is a day to remember rather than celebrate.