Annual Parade Reflects The Many Faces Of Newtown

By Nancy K. Crevier

The Newtown Labor Day Parade committee put in its order with Mother Nature for a perfect day, and she complied. After nearly a week of unrelenting rain and dreariness, Monday, September 4, arrived with sunny skies and mild temperatures to greet the participants and viewers of the 45th Annual Labor Day Parade.

Parade committee members expressed relief that the sunny skies appeared to bring out sunny temperaments, sidestepping what they had worried could become a raucous lineup in the area of political personalities. The appearance of several news teams, CNN, Channel 3, and The New York Times among them, caused a stir of excitement and many turned heads.

But despite political controversy from the previous week attracting national attention to the Ned Lamont and Joe Lieberman “right-to-march” issue, the throngs of supporters for each camp milled together in a quiet truce as they gathered at the top of Academy Lane off of Main Street prior to the start of the parade. Mr Lamont, the Democratic nominee for the state senate, marched with dozens of his supporters just behind the Newtown Democratic committee. Mr Lieberman, who initially had been invited to march with the Democrats prior to his loss to Mr Lamont last month in the primary, and was later disinvited, causing a brushfire of controversy fanned by national news, was surrounded by a large group of fans as they marched under the auspices of Independent Democrats.

Governor M. Jodi Rell led the way for the Republicans, a much smaller and quieter collection of marchers that included Republican nominee Alan Schlessinger and members of Newtown’s Republican Committee.

Parade Chairperson Kym Stendahl, interviewed later in the day by the CNN news team, said that she was thrilled to have the opportunity to clarify for the nation that politics “is not what this parade is about.” Ms Stendahl went on to say that parade feedback from the community drives the parade, not what the committee wants. For instance, several years of negative feedback about military tanks has forced the committee to discourage the entry of large military vehicles in the parade. In particular, military vehicles that entered the parade in past years without registering with the parade committee prior to the parade created disruptions in the line of march and community members complained to the parade committee. “The parade committee tries to do best to organize what the town wants,” said Ms Stendahl.

While politicians dished and bantered their way down the parade route, other parade favorites fell into line with much enthusiasm.

Grand Marshal, local artist, and active environmental conservationist Patricia Barkman cut a fine figure perched upon a 1961 Chevy Impala convertible owned by Joel Zeisler of Newtown and driven by Gary Gilroy of Alpine Realty. Mr Gilroy was accompanied by the Grand Marshal’s mother, Audrey Snodgrass. Ms Barkman made way for one of her favorite organizations, Roots For Newtown. The newly organized environmental coalition was kept hopping, handing out 3,000 white pine saplings and planting directions to eager paradegoers on either side of the parade route. “It was a most successful thing,” commented Ms Barkman after the parade. “We had a most enthusiastic reception and I think we could have given away another 1,000 saplings.”

The Newtown High School Marching Band put on a first-rate show, decked out in their new blue and silver uniforms. Fife and drums, bugle corps, and bagpipes filled the clear air with pounding rhythms and foot-tapping tunes. The Sons of Portugal, always a favorite, danced and swirled their way down Main Street in native garb, as did the women of The Rockin’ Roosters Square dance club in their colorful skirts. Several of the Newtown schools and church groups were well represented and the efforts of many local organizations were evident in the number of creative floats that wowed the crowd. Well-mannered pups and pretty ponies paraded down the avenue with their respective groups, not at all put off by the occasional blast of gunfire from the Civil War reenactment group or the wail of an emergency vehicle’s siren. If the crew marching with the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps seemed a bit depleted at times, mark that up to the three calls received and responded to during the parade.

As always, judges stationed on Queen Street had a tough time of selecting this year’s parade winners. After the votes were tallied, though, Ms Stendahl reported that the Connecticut Alumni Senior Drum and Bugle Corps was the hands down winner of the coveted Rooster Award for overall best in show. The corps is composed of members from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, as well as high school and college students, and performs throughout the Northeast. The Connecticut Alumni Senior Drum and Bugle Corps was also the recipient this year of the Best Musical Entry Senior Division and The Most Crowd Pleasing. Runner-up for Best Musical Entry Senior Division was the Fairfield Gaelic Pipe Band. Mattatuck Drum Band took the honor of Best Musical Entry Junior Division with Newtown High School Marching Band being awarded runner-up in that category.

Best Float went to Iroquois Gas Transmission System, which also received the award for Best Nonmusical Entry. Runner-up in the float division was the mammoth trailer float created by Grace Christian Fellowship. TOPS organization took home the certificate for runner-up in the Best Nonmusical Entry division. Best School was awarded to Hawley Elementary School and for the first time in the history of the parade, Sandy Hook Fire Department and Newtown Hook and Ladder tied for Best Fire Company.

Other than one ominous thunderhead that bypassed Newtown, the only other dark cloud was a small, postparade fracas of political differences that was resolved without police arrest.

Ms Stendahl expressed delight in the turnout and support of the parade for this Newtown tradition that, for this Connecticut town, marks the end of summer. She said, “I think the parade was a success. I think the parade rose above any political splits.”