With the extension of registration for the 62nd Newtown Labor Day Parade, organizers are looking at dozens of groups planning to participate in the town’s long-standing end-of-summer celebration.

The parade will step off at 10 am Monday, September 2, from Main Street at Currituck Road. Participants will travel south on Main Street, turn onto and follow the length of Glover Avenue, and then turn left onto Queen Street. The route concludes at the intersection of Queen Street and Church Hill Road.

Parade Marshals Sue and Jim Shortt will lead the celebration, along with their handpicked judges. That group will disembark from their ride in front of My Place Restaurant, where the reviewing stand will be set up between the popular eatery and neighboring Bank of America.

Emcees will be stationed with the Shortts and their judges — Chris Locke, Eileen Marchese, Lee Paulsen, Theresa Salvatore, and Janet Volmer — on Queen Street. The Shortts will be chaperoned by Locke, and the judges will be transported over the parade route by Jimmy Johnson.

This year’s parade theme is “Garden of Plenty.”

After almost 30 years of organic farming, the Shortts have become a pillar in town feeding thousands through their farm store, community supported agriculture program, and by collaborating with Real Food CT. Earlier this year they opened an ice cream stand, which came on the heels of their farm becoming USDA certified organic.

The farm, on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook, started in 1995 with just Jim and his mother, the late Dolly Shortt. It has continued since, and expanded, with Jim and Sue’s sons, James and Jesse, now involved in the family business. A small staff supplements the work done by the Shortts.

Labor Day Parade Line of March Co-Coordinator Melissa Kopcik described the couple as “well-known, friendly faces around town” when announcing their appointment as Grand Marshals earlier this year. The committee was looking for unsung heroes of the town, she said in June, “and these two hardworking farmers were an obvious choice.”

Parade Notes

Two escort divisions will again open the parade on September 2. Continuing a longstanding tradition, Newtown Police Department, Newtown PD Honor Guard and Newtown High School Marching Band & Color Guard will have the lead positions.

Four divisions will make up the parade this year, with 71 organizations, clubs, bands, nonprofit organizations, businesses and others registered as of August 21.

Kopcik is excited that many returning participants will be joined by some newcomers for this year’s parade.

“Excitement is building and participation is strong this year,” she said August 19. “Among those joining us for the first time is Sporre Tree Service, Plato’s Closet, Pixie Dust Princesses, Tap & Pony Mobile Bar Truck, Danbury Hat Tricks Junior Hockey Players, and the one and only ‘Tina Turner.’”

“Turner” will be joining returning impersonators Neil Diamond and Elvis Presley, who have made appearances in recent years.

Newtown Forest Association, celebrating its centennial anniversary this year, “is back after a few years’ hiatus,” Kopcik also said. NFA plans to showcase the new Christmas tree it will be planting soon in Sandy Hook Center, she said.

“This will be quite a sight to see,” she added. “We would like to give them a warm welcome back and look forward to viewing the new Christmas tree.”

The Newtown 10U and 9U Hawks teams are also in the line of march. Both Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball teams have had tremendous summers. The 10Hawks won the state championship, then represented New England in the Cal Ripken World Series, where they went 3-1 in pool play. The 9U team finished its season in mid-July as runners-up in their age group at the New England Regional Tournament.

Judges will again not only have some of the best seats along the route that morning, they will also be taking notes to compare with each other after the final participant passes their location. Honors will be announced for Best Float, Best Musical Entry Junior or Senior, Most Patriotic, Best School, Best Fire Company, Best New Entry, Most Fitting Parade Theme, Most Colorful Entry, Most Crowd Pleasing (a/k/a Rooster Award), and Best Non-Musical.

The full line of march will be published in print and online next week.

Fundraising Continues

The Newtown Labor Day Parade committee generally needs between $25,000-$30,000 to stage the Labor Day Parade, Kopcik said recently. While some of those funds are raised through participation fees, the committee relies on sponsorships and donations.

Kopcik was happy to announce August 15 that the committee is “almost at our goal.”

The parade, a 501(c)(3), is 100% self-funded and organized by volunteers.

Donations can be made through newtownctlabordayparade.org. Checks payable to Newtown Labor Day Parade Inc can be mailed to Newtown Labor Day Parade, PO Box 746, Newtown CT 06470.

The parade route will be closed to non-parade traffic by 9:30 am the day of the parade, and will remain closed until at least 12:30 pm or until the final unit finishes the route.

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Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.