Picture Perfect Parade For Newtown’s Tercentennial

By nancy K. Crevier

It was a picture perfect day in a picture perfect New England village. The sun shone down from a cloudless blue sky with nary a hint of the wilting humidity of previous weeks. A tiny, cooling breeze wafted through the air, and it appeared that every single resident of Newtown was lined up somewhere along the parade route on Monday morning when the 44th Labor Day Parade stepped off to give a “Happy Birthday, Newtown!” salute to the town. Thousands of smiling faces beamed, arms waved, and voices cheered the Newtown High School Marching Nighthawks at the head of the parade, and the enthusiasm did not once waver as band after band and float upon float created one of the most colorful spectacles in Newtown’s 300-year history.

There were fire trucks, ambulances, horses, clowns, schools, cheerleaders, dancers, tractors, drummers, and even a singing gladiator. Vendors quietly hawked their wares, be it trinkets or tasty treats. For those who rushed to get a prime spot on the parade route and skipped their breakfast, goodies ranging from bagels to donuts to pizza were available from numerous small kiosks along the way. Washed down with a cup of sweet lemonade (donations going to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund), what could be a better start to the day?

And what is a parade without candy? Hands outstretched, children crowded the curbs, eagerly anticipating showers of sweets raining down on them from parade participants. As usual, a number of bobbing balloons escaped their handlers and rushed above the treetops, looking, no doubt for a superior aerial view.

Sirens wailed, horns blared, drums pounded,, and the crowd kept up a steady round of applause for the nearly three hours it took the 125-plus organizations to wend their way from the top of Main Street to the review stand on Queen Street.

Gymnastics Revolution from Bethel and Newtown’s own Dance, Etc dance team knocked the socks off the crowd with fantastic feats of choreography and gravity defying flips. Precision footwork was not just the realm of dancers and the many fife and drum corps, though. Demonstrations by The Newtown Academy of Karate and United Studios of Self Defense showed off some snappy hand and foot coordination, as well.

How were judges able to choose between the rustic farm entries from Paproski Farms and Ferris Farm (complete with a too-cute-for-words calf) or between the “cocky” float by Town and Country Garden Club and the lovely garden scene from Holmes Fine Garden? More than one float celebrated the parade theme with a birthday cake creation, each one as lovely as the next. Was it possible to choose one over another? Like the Pied Pipers that they are, the fife players worked their magic while bagpipes skirled and the brass bands came marching in. How did the judges pick, when each exciting musical entry put forth their best?

It is never easy, was the collective opinion of the judges. But after serious consideration, the parade awards for 2005 went to:

Connecticut Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps, Best Musical senior division

Fairfield Gaelic Pipe Band, musical runner-up

Moodus Drum and Fife, Best Musical junior division

Newtown High School, musical runner-up

St Rose, Best Float

Town and Country Garden Club, float runner-up

Sandy Hook Fire Company, Best Fire Company

St Rose of Lima School, Best School Entry

St Rose, Best Nonmusical Entry

Gymnastics Revolution, runner-up nonmusical entry

Lathrop School of Dance, honorable mention

Newtown Savings Bank, honorable mention

St Rose, Rooster Award for the Most Crowd-Pleasing

Kym Stendahl, chairperson for the Labor Day Parade Committee, was thrilled with the obvious effort every organization and school had put into their parade entry saying, “What a great parade. St Rose knocked my socks off, but they didn’t tell us they had a second float and 300 people. St Rose School’s theatrical performance was incredible. You couldn’t ask for a better day.”

Good friends, good floats, good cheer: Happy Birthday, Newtown!