Following the cancellation of the 59th Annual Newtown Labor Day Parade, Newtown Bee readers were invited to share their parade memories. Following are some of the stories we received.

In a call to the newspaper on August 21, Bitsy Weber said, “Those parades are awesome. There’s nothing like it.”

The Tennessee native has attended many parades, she said. Her family would travel each summer to visit with relatives who live in Brookfield. The group made a point of coming to Newtown for the big end-of-summer event.

“My favorite Labor Day parade memory was back in 1970 or ’71,” Weber said in a subsequent note. “I saw two little girls riding a bicycle built for two. One girl was dressed as a man with a fake mustache and the other girl was dressed as a woman and twirling a parasol. They were absolutely adorable.”

The girls — Brenda Gordon and Debra Shreders, according to Weber — won second place in the bicycle division that year. Their appearance created one Labor Day parade memory, while also sparking a different recollection for Weber.

“The girls riding that bicycle caught my attention because in 1968 my boyfriend and I tried to ride a bicycle built for two and I just could not get the hang of it,” she shared.

Despite the tandem bicycle disappointment, the boyfriend proposed to Weber that day, her note continued. The couple was married for 30 years, she said, before her husband passed away.

Longtime Newtown resident Betty Presnell visited The Newtown Bee office recently to share a few of her photos.

For many years, she said, she and other members of Newtown and Danbury Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) chapters combined efforts to create floats for the big Labor Day event.

“Members created at least ten floats over the years, even winning the Rooster Award one year,” she proudly shared.

Presnell has also enjoyed marching, she said. In addition to TOPS, she has marched with Newtown United Methodist Church and FAITH Food Pantry. When she has not marched, she has been watching the parade since 1970.

Bill Hine also reached out. One of his favorite parts of parade day, he said, is a wagon ride for daughters Kylie and Kayla. The girls get to ride while their parents decide on the perfect spot from which to view the parade. The girls also love running to see the clowns, he said.

Vicki Boccuzzi said she and husband John have many fond memories of the parade thanks to their 16 years — and counting — of living here.

“Our grandchildren are now in high school or college. One of my favorite memories is when our grandson Michael was 2½,” Boccuzzi shared via e-mail. “He lived in Stamford and was very excited about the parade we told him about. He enjoyed the marching bands and horses and other floats and then all of a sudden, some people threw candy at him.

“I will always remember his look of utter amazement and wonder! Wisely, his parents had limited his candy consumption from when he was a baby and here someone was actually throwing candy at him!

“We gave him a little bag and told him to eat some now and then save the rest. I don’t know if he remembers that day, but I always will.

“We should all be so happy even for just a moment.”