The nation’s oldest Memorial Day parade steps off on Thursday, the Wilmington Memorial Day Committee announced
This year marks the 152nd consecutive observance of the traditional Memorial Day, May 30.
The parade will start on Delaware Avenue at Woodlawn Avenue at 6 p.m.
Participants will march east along Delaware Avenue to the Civil War Monument at Broom Street, where those who died in the nation’s wars will be honored with a memorial service.
This year’s guest speaker is John Riley, former Hercules executive, interim CEO of the Delaware Prosperity Partnership and local historian.
Riley will speak about Wilmington resident James J. Connell, a graduate of St. Thomas Grade School, Salesianum High School and the U.S. Naval Academy, and a naval aviator during the Vietnam War.
Connell’s aircraft was shot down over North Vietnam where he was held as a Prisoner of War. He died on July 15, 1966 at the hands of North Vietnamese guards.
The oldest, continuous parade in the United States also has an interesting history. On May 5, 1868, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) commander in chief General John Alexander Logan issued General Order #11, which established the 30th day of May as Memorial Day to honor those who had fallen during the Civil War.
The GAR was the largest organization of Union veterans of the Civil War. That same year, a group of New Castle County citizens formed a Memorial Day Committee.
Through their efforts, the City of Wilmington began conducting ceremonies and activities on May 30 in compliance with General Logan’s Order.
For more information, visit: https://www.wilmingtonmemorialdayparade.com/
