The 58th Annual Newtown Labor Day Parade is scheduled for Monday, September 2, and this year’s parade committee is hoping to repeat the success of “what many consider the best parade in the state,” according to Parade Line of March Coordinator Melissa Kopcik.

The parade will step off at 10 am that morning from Main Street, at its intersection with Currituck Road. Participants will follow the parade’s longstanding route, heading south on Main Street before turning left onto Glover Avenue, crossing Glover to its intersection with Queen Street, and then following Queen to its intersection with Church Hill Road.

The theme of this year’s parade is “Volunteers Keeping Our Community Strong.” Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Chief Bill Halstead has been named grand marshal of the 2019 parade.

Chief Halstead will be driven to the grandstand in a vehicle provided by Reach Car Club of Newtown. He will be joined by his wife, Deb Aurelia Halstead, and two of their grandchildren, Emma Guilfoil and Ryan Halstead.

The national anthem will be sung at 9:55 am, with singers staged at three locations. Susan Lang will be at the Main Street flagpole, Newtown Middle School eighth grade student Shelby Jones will be at the Queen Street grandstand, and Sami Anderson will be at 9 Glover Avenue, in front of the Maher residence.

Longtime C.H. Booth Library librarian Beryl Harrison has been named The 2019 Legend & Pioneers Award recipient. The award is given annually to groups or individuals who have remained longtime participants or marchers, who help make the parade a special tradition.

Ms Harrison was selected for the honor, Parade Committee member Tom D’Agostino told The Newtown Bee this week, due to her “longevity at the library and her commitment to town, among other things.

“She’s like the Eveready Bunny,” he added.

Like the grand marshal, Ms Harrison will also be traveling on Monday in a classic car provided by Reach Newtown.

Judges on Monday will be viewing the parade from the traditional grandstand location on Queen Street, where they will be considering participants for additional awards, including Best Musical, Senior and Junior Divisions; Best Non-Musical; Most Colorful; Best Float; Best School; Best Fire Company; Best New Entry; Most Patriotic; Most Fitting Parade Theme; and The Rooster Award (Most Crowd Pleasing).

Road closures will be set up along and near the parade route, from 9:40 am until approximately 1 pm.

To alleviate some of the bottleneck, the parade committee has received permission from St Rose of Lima Church to have paradegoers use its parking lot, at 46 Church Hill Road, for parade parking. Shuttle buses will run from that location to Hawley School, at 29 Church Hill Road. Organizers are strongly encouraging the use of the shuttle buses.

Parking will also be available at Trinity Episcopal Church, accessible from Church Hill Road. The church will have its doors open during the parade, welcoming those who need to use the facilities. Members will be serving water and lemonade on the front lawn of 36 Main Street that morning, as well.

Newtown Congregational Church, at 14 West Street, will host Pancakes & Parking on Monday. All are invited to enjoy a pancake breakfast with sides, from 8 to 9:45 am ($6/person, $20/family maximum), then leave their vehicles parked at the church and walk the approximately 1,200 feet to Main Street, to take in the parade.

Click here for this year's line of march.

Volunteers Counting On Food Pantry Donations

Following with the theme of this year’s parade, volunteers from the town’s nonecumenical food pantry will continue their mission of making sure everyone in town has food for their table.

The group is trying something new this year: collection bins will be placed along the parade route Monday morning, with attendees asked to leave nonperishable donations for FAITH Food Pantry in the tall white cardboard boxes that will have FAITH’s name in blue lettering.

Bins will be placed along the parade route in front of Honan Funeral Home, Newtown Savings Bank, Trinity Episcopal Church, Newtown Police Department, the home at 20 Main Street, and next to the Judges Reviewing Stand on Queen Street.

A bin will also be placed in front of The Newtown Bee office, at 5 Church Hill Road.

Volunteers from the nonecumenical food pantry will also be collection donations as they march.

Among those walking with the food pantry group will be Hannah Groonell. The Sandy Hook teenager two years ago launched a neighborhood program called One Day 2 Missions.

Hannah distributed nearly 200 reusable bags among her neighbors that spring, along with the request that they put a donation into the bag and leave it at the end of their driveway the same mornings that recycling was left.

Hannah and her mother continue to pick up the donations left by their neighbors each week and deliver them to the food pantry.

On Monday, the program will expand across town. Hannah has approximately 400 reusable bags, according to her mother, that she plans to distribute to those along the parade route.

“We’d like people to take them home from the parade and put an item or two into the bag each week when they do their recycling,” Mrs Groonell said Tuesday morning. Her daughter, now a high school senior, was in school at the time.

“Then when the bag is full, they can take the bag to the food pantry or even drop it off at one of the regular collection points in town,” Mrs Groonell added.