As leadership ramps up its work preparing for the Newtown's 56th Labor Day Parade, both a group of new organizers and its 2017 Grand Marshal Lee Paulsen were thankful.

Ms Paulsen, who heads up the FAITH Food Pantry — being celebrated with this year's parade theme, "A Labor Of Love" — gave thanks to the committee, and the community, for the honor.

"I'm so happy to be doing this," she said, acknowledging that the exposure will also provide a nice promotional boost for the food pantry, which recently completed a move from St John's Church in Sandy Hook Center to a building in the Tier One commercial complex on Pecks Lane.

Parade Committee President Nicholas Kopcik was equally thankful to former parade committee leaders Robin Buchanan and Beth Caldwell, whom he said have agreed to help the new volunteers find their feet, and help ensure many more hundreds of them are included in the line of march come Labor Day morning.

"You don't really have any idea of the amount of work this takes until you start doing it," Mr Kopcik said, adding that his former responsibilities were restricted to mostly day of parade preparation activities.

"I mean, I know when most people are getting ready for bed, these ladies would be on the phone contacting landscapers and others to provide us with trucks to pull the floats," he said.

Following the committee's second organizational meeting, the new parade committee will be headed up by Mr Kopcik, Vice President Tom D'Agostino, Secretary Krystina Staskiewicz, and Treasurer Brian Amey.

While others might still be added, the balance of the parade organizers this year includes Meredith Roland, Melissa Kopcik, Becky Osborne, Manny Fernandes, Brett Radachowsky, Steve Murphy, Andy Cluff, Ellen Whalen, and Stacey Olszewski.

Mr Kopcik said after seeing an item in The Newtown Bee looking for new blood for the parade committee he, his wife, and Ms Roland decided to step up.

"We didn't see losing this event," Mr Kopcik said. "And people's lives change after a number of years, and so we're grateful that Robin and Beth have agreed to stay on behind the scenes to work with us. And it's great that other people have stepped up — otherwise there wasn't going to be a parade this year.

"And it's a daunting task, to say the least," Mr Kopcik added. "I've been in the parade for 24 years since I've been in town with the Masons, Little Leagues, [and] the dive team.... Looking out at the faces of the kids as you walk or drive by makes it all worth it."

He said from the hard work that goes into a number of very elaborate floats to the emergency service volunteers who spend days ahead of the parade polishing and readying their apparatus, the parade is a communitywide labor of love and strong evidence of community pride.

"People don't realize how much is involved," Mr Kopcik said. "And we're planning a very special surprise this year, but we're not ready to reveal it quite yet."

He said the committee is in the process of getting the parade website updated and running, getting applications out, and other preliminary work.

"The transition has been less than smooth, and we have a great appreciation for what Beth and Robin have done to help us step in," he said. "The work Robin has done to get this done every year as a volunteer is phenomenal. And she did it for 11 years. But we're going to make it happen and this year's parade will be great!"

In the coming weeks, residents can look to the parade committee's website, newtownctlabordayparade.org, for details and other information on the 2017 event as they develop.