At this time of year, it takes a large binder to contain all of the information relevant to the 2016 Kennett Square Memorial Day parade – details ranging from how many Scouts will participate to how many water bottles will be needed.
According to Historic Kennett Square, Bill Taylor, the parade chairman and the owner of Taylor Oil & Propane, is seldom seen without the large, stuffed, orange binder covering every conceivable aspect of the parade, which begins at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 30.
Taylor has been the force behind Kennett’s ever-growing parade for 11 years, ever since the borough asked him to help “jazz” it up, he said in a recent interview. The binder is a testament to the months of behind-the-scenes work that goes into the parade, which has drawn more than 1,000 participants and more than 12,000 spectators.
To help with the planning, Taylor has assembled a posse that includes his assistant at Taylor Oil, Lorraine Spencer; his son, Michael; Taylor Oil employees; family members; and the parade committee that comprises members of the local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. Administrative and marketing support comes from Historic Kennett Square.
Emceeing the popular parade will be Matt Grieco, owner of Grieco Family Funeral Homes, and former Kennett Consolidated School Board President Doug Stirling. In addition to announcing the different participants, a wide range of floats and musical performers, Grieco and Stirling will also introduce the grand marshals and share some of their histories from World War II.
This year’s grand marshals are Ralph D. Doss, Anthony L. DiFabio, Raymond J. Natale Sr., and the late Horace J. Brown Sr. All served in WWII. Brown, who died April 11 at the age of 92, was born in West Chester, raised in Kennett Square, and served in the war under Gen. Douglas MacArthur, according to a press release from Historic Kennett Square.
Veterans of all wars are the most important part of each Memorial Day parade, Taylor said. Invitations were sent this year to 316 veterans, and Taylor expects many of those who participate to be in the parade. After the parade ends, veterans will be honored at Union Hill Cemetery with a 21-gun salute. They and their families are then invited to a luncheon at the American Legion.
The patriotic theme is included in even the smallest details. Boy Scout Troop 53 will hand out 5,000 American flags for veterans and Girl and Boy Scouts, among others, to wave during the parade.
In addition to the volunteers who donate their time to the parade, a number of businesses donate sponsorship and services to ensure a successful parade. Besides Taylor Oil, major donors include RJ Waters & Associates, the Mushroom Festival, Fenstermacher & Co., Genesis Healthcare, VFW Post 5467, and the Mushroom Farmers of PA.
Kennett High School and Genesis Healthcare will donate their parking areas along South Street for parade acts to gather. Floats, groups, bands, and vehicles will line up in the high school parking lot, in the Genesis parking lot across the street, and along Birch Street. The Kennett Run organization donates road cones for those areas, and QVC will record the parade this year.
“This year’s two-hour parade promises to be one of the best ones yet,” Taylor said in the release.
Organizers suggest arriving well before the 10 a.m. start time to stake out a stop along the route, which includes East South Street to South Union Street to East Cypress Street to South Broad Street to North Union Street. For more information, visit www.historickennettsquare.com.
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