Event to be followed by ceremony in Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park
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 27, in downtown Sarasota, the city has announced.
The parade will begin at the intersection of Main Street and Osprey Avenue and conclude at Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park, which stands at the intersection of Main Street and Gulfstream Avenue. A ceremony will be held in the park at approximately 11 a.m., the release notes. The public is encouraged to attend the event.
This year’s keynote speaker will be Michael Tollerton, a 2011 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, the release points out. Tollerton spent six years in the Army, earning the rank of field artillery captain, the release adds.
After her military career, Tollerton’s “dedication to service led her to join U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan’s Military Academy Selection Committee in 2022 and Sarasota Military Academy’s Board of Directors in 2023,” the release continues. She works with FCCI Insurance Group in Sarasota as a corporate risk control operator.
“The parade will include performances by the Sarasota Military Academy band and participation from local law enforcement agencies, first responders, color guards, veterans’ groups, community organizations and local dignitaries,” the release says.
“Commercial vehicles will not be allowed to participate in the parade,” the release points out.
Additionally, the release notes, “parade participants are prohibited from throwing objects, including candy, to the crowd.”