The 95th annual Naperville Memorial Day Parade kicks off at 10:30 A.M. on Monday, May 29. The parade starts at the intersection of Jackson Ave. and West St. and will head east toward Washington St. The route then heads north up Washington, before ending on Benton Ave and at Central Park.
Naperville’s Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 and American Legion Post 43 are the organizers of the parade.
Parade Marshall and Officer of the Day
This year’s Parade Marshall is Vietnam veteran, Dennis Lukavsky. He served as a Medium Boat Operator and as a Military Policeman in Vietnam and various locations throughout the United States. The Officer of the Day is Jim Collins, who served in the Air Force as a member of the Air National Guard from 1968 to 1974. Collins was a Crash and Rescue Firefighter and served in Germany in addition to numerous locations in the U.S.
Other ceremonies before and after the parade
Ceremonies begin at 7:45 A.M. with the Dan Shanower/9-11 Memorial at City Hall. Before the parade begins, four more short ceremonies will happen throughout the surrounding Downtown Naperville area.
Over the course of 12 wars, 113 Naperville men and women went to combat and never returned home. Memorial Day is all about honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Memorial Day Observance at Central Park
The parade route ends at Central Park with a Memorial Day Observance.
At the observance, musical numbers will be played by the Naperville Municipal Band, which will be joined by the Recruit Training Command Band from Naval Station Great Lakes. Speeches, wreath layings, and other honors for the fallen will be conducted as well. Lastly, the VFW and American Legion ask that people participate in the National Moment of Remembrance, by honoring the fallen with one minute of silence at 3 P.M.
NCTV17 will carry the parade live starting at 10:30 A.M. The parade will be rebroadcast throughout the month of June on both Channel 17 and NCTV17.org.
More information regarding the ceremonies can be found on the Naperville Memorial Day Parade website.
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