An independent entity, the Newtown Labor Day Parade Committee needs to raise between $30,000 and $35,000 in order to present what is easily one of the town's largest annual celebrations.

This year's event will step off at 10 am, from its longstanding starting point on Main Street at Currituck Road. Marchers, musicians, entertainers, floats, and other spectacles will make their way south along Main Street, take the left onto Glover Avenue, and then take the next left onto Queen Street, concluding at the intersection of Queen Street and Church Hill Road.

Passing two reviewing stands and thousands of people along the way, the parade will be the culmination of months of work by a committee of volunteers who are dedicated to presenting the parade.

This year's parade theme is Serving The Community. Eunice Laverty, the proprietor of Bagel Delight and a retired social worker, has agreed to serve as this year's grand marshal.

An e-mail from Parade Committee member Thomas D'Agostino on July 30 indicated the committee had crossed the halfway mark in fundraising for this year's parade. The $20,000 raised as of Monday will cover the entertainment budget alone, according to Line-Up Co-Chair Melissa Kopcik.

"That includes bands, heavy artillery reenactment group, the beloved not-for-profit Shriners Motor Patrol, and clowns," she said.

"Donations are also made for the Governor's Horse Guard for their participation," she added. The State of Connecticut, under which the horse guard operates, reportedly requires a donation if the horse guard is going to appear in any parade.

Hay bales and golf carts are usually donated for the parade route, Ms Kopcik said, but the parade committee is responsible for renting portable bathrooms.

The public address systems at the two reviewing stands also eat up part of the entertainment budget, she said.

"So much time and effort - and funds - go into making this annual beloved community event, run and organized by the parade committee, which consists solely of volunteers," Ms Kopcik said. "The money goes out very quickly."

Sponsors continue to be sought and welcomed by the committee. Residents and individuals are invited to donate as well.

Online donations can be done at bit.ly/donatetonldp. Donations can also be done by check sent to Newtown Labor Day Parade Inc, PO Box 746, Newtown CT 06470.

Ms Kopcik and Meredith Roland, who is the other co-chair for the parade lineup, are hoping to hear from more groups, clubs, and organizations who want to march.

"We know people aren't thinking about September, and we certainly aren't trying to wish the summer away," Ms Kopcik said August 1, "but the application deadline is fast approaching. We've only heard from one fire company so far, and there are a lot of youth groups who usually march who we also haven't heard from yet."

Applications are due Friday, August 10, for those planning to march in this year's parade. They are available at bit.ly/nldp-participate and through the parade committee's Facebook page.

"We want to get everyone properly placed in the lineup," Ms Kopcik said.

New Outreach

Earlier this month, the parade committee announced its newest way of keeping in touch with those who will be participating in and anticipating the September 3 event.

"We finally made it into the 21st century," a post on the committee's Facebook page announced July 11.

As the 57th offering of a Newtown Labor Day Parade approaches, the public can keep up with updates via Twitter (@NewtownCTParade) and Instagram (@NewtownLaborDayParade).

2018 Additions

Ms Kopcik said this week there are a few new things viewers should watch for on September 1.

Making their Newtown Labor Day Parade debut - after a three-hour drive - will be Uptown String Band, from Parkland, Penn.

The band, whose organization dates back to 1937, is "a huge new act to look out for," Ms Kopcik said. The fully volunteer band is made up of nearly 200 individuals, according to its website. The band strives "to bring the cheer and joy of the distinct mummers sound and the profound pageantry of sequined and plumed costumers," the website also states. Newtown's will be one of 50 performances the band offers this year.

Part of this year's budget will be used to introduce another new parade offering. Banners and rolling billboards, according to Ms Kopcik, will celebrate and thank this year's sponsors.

Ms Kopcik said she and the others on the parade committee are doing what they can for the town, which continues to host the state's largest - if not the only - Labor Day Parade.

"In going with the theme, we are proud to serve this wonderful community and all the people and businesses in Newtown as well as surrounding areas," she said July 31. "We encourage as many local businesses as possible to participate and get involved in any way, shape, or form, as this day is all about doing that: serving the community, just like Eunice does day in and day out."

[naviga:img class="aligncenter wp-image-332644" src="https://newtownbee.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Labor-Day-Parade-update-parade-committees-Instagram-page-WITH-BORDER.jpg" alt="Labor Day Parade update -- parade committee's Instagram page WITH BORDER" width="800" height="585" /]

As Newtown prepares to embrace its 57th Labor Day Parade, the parade committee "finally joined the 21st Century," it announced recently. The committee now has a presence on both Instagram, as shown here, and Twitter. Donations, sponsorships, and marchers are still being collected for this year's event, which will celebrate Serving The Community.

-Instagram image