If a town could have a stream of consciousness, Newtown’s would look a lot like the Labor Day Parade. If you are among the thousands who plan to watch or march in this year’s edition of the parade, you will have an opportunity to see first-hand just how conscious Newtown is as a town. The lineup of marchers will feature people committed to service of everything from the Ambulance Association to Lake Zoar, and every one of the scores of organizations from A to Z works throughout the year to make Newtown a more living and vital community.

The theme of the parade this year, “Newtown, History in the Making,” suggests a celebration of the glories of the past. To be sure, the parade carries with it many reminders of our history, from the horseback riders and old cars to the Historical Society’s float. But this town’s stream of consciousness projects well into the future as well; some of our favorite marching units each year are from the schools, youth groups, and athletic teams, featuring kids and more kids. If we squint, we can almost see the parade trailing off into the future when some of these same kids will march as emergency service volunteers, politicians, and even, perhaps, as the parade Grand Marshal. So, in this respect, the parade truly is history in the making.

As always, we urge everyone to attend. The march will get started at 10 am with a cannon blast in the Ram Pasture and a fly-over by Connecticut Air Adventures. Plan to be there for this annual townwide consciousness raising.