Event to begin at 10 a.m. at intersection of Main Street and Orange Avenue
The City of Sarasota, in conjunction with the Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee, will host the annual Memorial Day parade at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 25, in downtown Sarasota, the city and the committee have announced.
The parade will start at the intersection of Main Street and Orange Avenue and conclude at Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park, which stands at the intersection of Main Street and Gulfstream Avenue, a news release says.
A ceremony will be held in the park beginning at approximately 11 a.m., the release adds. The guest speaker will be Charlie Halley, “a U.S. Army veteran who served on active duty and in the U.S. Army Reserve for nearly 11 years and rose to the rank of corporal before building a diverse career in media,” the release explains. “He is known locally as ‘The Comet’ on his weekday morning show with WSRQ, LECOM Radio, and as the founder of DD214 Jeepers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting veterans in the Sarasota community, the release continues.
The theme of this year’s proceedings is All Gave Some … Some Gave All, the release points out.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend the parade and ceremony, the release notes.
The parade will include performances by the Sarasota Military Academy band, plus the participation of first responders, color guards and local dignitaries, along with representatives of local law enforcement agencies, veterans’ groups and other community organizations, the release says.
“Commercial vehicles will not be allowed to participate in the parade,” the release points out. “In addition,” it stresses, “parade participants are prohibited from throwing objects, including candy, to the crowd.
For more information, contact Dan Kennedy, Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee chairman, at 941-812-5406.