Labor Day Parade:

Newtown’s Pride And Joy

By Nancy K. Crevier

It is a reflection of Newtown’s small town mindset that the day before a grand parade that will draw thousands of viewers, residents feel confident that chairs set up the day before along the parade route will still be there — or at least, relatively close by — the following morning when the owners return to settle themselves as the parade passes by. By early Sunday afternoon, August 31, Main Street was already lined with rows of chairs set up in anticipation of Monday’s upcoming Labor Day Parade. Homeowners all along the parade route had seating for their own next day’s guests in place and generously welcomed outlying residents to mark their own spots in front of the Main Street and Glover Avenue homes. For Newtown’s annual end-of-summer event is about the people, the fun, and the sense of community the parade creates when, for a few hours, friends, families, and neighbors gather together.

Ed Dudley and his family did not set up their chairs the night before, but by 8 am on Monday morning, he said, he and his sister and the six children they have between them had staked out a place on Main Street near the corner of Glover Avenue and Route 302. The energy level was high for Ryan and Travis Dudley, who were looking forward to “the candy” and for Mr Dudley’s daughter, Katelynn, who was eager to see the shiny fire trucks go by.

Ryan and Travis were not the only youngsters prepared to collect a wealth of Tootsie Rolls, Jolly Ranchers, and SweetTarts throughout the course of the parade. Little Jack Swanson and a slew of other kids were ready and raring to go. Nicole Keeping, on the other hand, was there “to watch my friend Eva march with Sandy Hook,” she said.

For some, the parade was new; for others, a tradition that was not to be ignored. Ten-month-old Briana Gaydash was playing with a Sponge Bob Balloon and “already having fun” at her very first Newtown Labor Day Parade, said her mother and father, Mindy Kovack and Justin Gaydash.

Westport parade organizer Bill Vornkahl and his family have traveled from Westport to the Newtown parade for “at least 40 years,” he said. They always set up on Glover Avenue to watch “the best parade in Connecticut on Labor Day.” And laughing, he reminded those around him, not only is it the best, it is the only Labor Day Parade in the state. “But we wouldn’t miss it,” he added.

Vendors hocked their wares, and high school teams pushed cartloads of ice-cold water, popsicles, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, discount cards, and even Spandex shorts. Grade schooler Laura Zimmerman made beaded earrings and was selling them for just $2 a pair, with all of the proceeds supporting Relay For Life cancer research. Shouts of “Water, get your water!” mingled with cries of “Cotton Candy! Cotton candy here!” and if one wasn’t prone to racing out to the edge of the street to grab a treat, it was easy to saunter down to The Pleasance where the Rotary Club members were happy to quench one’s thirst and stymie a growling tummy at their food tent.

The traditional early morning breakfast parties spilled from Main Street porches and driveways to the edge of the streets, the aroma of fresh brewed coffee mingling with the sweet scent of pastries and mouth-watering brunch foods. The huge square acreage of the town was condensed into a few city blocks of happy revelers as the 47th Annual Labor Day Parade prepared to kick off at 10 am.

Beneath clear blue skies, Grand Marshal Mae Schmidle led the way perched atop a glistening red roadster, resplendent in her trademark red suit.

“I have never seen so many people in red,” exclaimed Ms Schmidle after the parade. “It seems that they did everything but paint a red line down the street.” Knowing her propensity for red, many of Ms Schmidle’s supporters feted her with bouquets of red roses, as well, she said. “I think I got at least four bouquets of roses. It was all very, very exciting. I loved every minute of the parade,” Ms Schmidle said.

Ms Schmidle, a longtime member of the Newtown VNA, as well as a past state and town representative, former town clerk, and who has been involved in many town efforts for more than 40 years, was selected as the grand marshal due to her devotion over the years to the VNA, in particular. Celebrating its 90th year of service in town, the parade committee honored the organization with the parade theme of “VNA: Keeping Newtown Healthy.”

Not only red, but red, white and blue were the colors of this year’s Labor Day celebrations. Homes adorned with tri-colored swags, star-spangled doggie coats, jackets, shirts, and ties, echoed the colors of the flag all along the parade route. And in case a paradegoer had forgotten to bring his or her own American flag, veterans of the Korean War were happy to supply the flagless with miniature flags for a small donation.

The Newtown High School Marching Band looked smart in parade uniform, brass instruments glistening in the sun as they snapped up to perform, and a pounding beat of drums to let residents know that the Labor Day Parade was underway. They were not the only band, of course, to entertain the thousands of clapping and cheering people. Interspersed with the fantastic floats from local churches and other organizations, the crowd-pleasing Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums, New Haven Gaelic Highland Pipe Band, the Mattatuck Drum Corps, and the Connecticut Alumni Senior Drum and Bugle Corps provided plenty of skirling and drumming and fifing.

New to the parade this year was the Trilby String Band from Philadelphia. Their shimmering, humorous costumes got them plenty of second looks and their excellent string playing — were those really marching cellos and bass? — made plenty in the crowd perk up their ears.

And if the music was not tuning in the crowd, stationed at the flagpole, silver-tongued emcees John Klopfenstein and Dr Joshua Baum kept the crowd tuned in to the who, what, when, where, and whys of each group of marchers passing by.

What’s an election year parade without politicians? Representatives of the Republican, Democratic, and Independent parties of Newtown and Danbury strutted their stuff, waving flags, carrying banners, and making sure to shake plenty of hands. Congressman Chris Murphy was unable to march in the parade, but he had a pretty good reason: He and his wife, Cathy Holahan, were celebrating the birth of their first child. Owen Murphy was born on Friday.

The Shriners were represented by clowns, the “Tall Shriner,” and the antics of the Motor Patrol and “the guys in little cars” that parade watcher Claire Swanson had eagerly awaited, mini cars whizzing in and out and round about each other to the delight of young and old. Dance schools, gymnasts, and skate boarders provided a glimpse into the special skills they have developed, and the Sons of Portugal Dancers gave observers good reason to put their hands together in appreciation, as did the members of the Rockin’ Roosters Square Dance Club.

While young Claire was pleased by the Shriners’ mini cars, her horse-loving younger sister Ryssa was not disappointed to see the prancing ponies of the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard, Newtown Bridle Lands Association, and the wee little miniature ponies that clip-clopped past their seats on Glover Avenue.

As POWs, MIAs and others who have served the country were memorialized by the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and as representatives of the armed forces stepped past, the solemn moments caused a brief pause in the sideline chatter. Another quiet moment occurred as the Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue float passed through, offering a tribute to assistant chief of NUSAR Michael Leonard, who died earlier this year from injuries incurred in a motorcycle accident, and a shake of the paw to the frequent parade float rider, K-9 bloodhound Officer Fergus, who also died earlier this year.

No Newtown parade is complete without a full lineup of the five fire companies and polished trucks, shiny tankers, and heavy equipment from local businesses, and the final wrap-up to two-plus hours of fun, the antique tractors.

It was not an easy task for judges Tricia Benvenuti, Pauline Crisci-Golcalves, Missy Galante, Jennifer Keddy, and Kathy Lyddy to select the winning marchers, with all of the entries strutting their best stuff as they passed the grand stand on Queen Street. The cheerful chatter of Queen Street emcees Mary Ann Murtha and Mike Giarrantano reviewing the bands and floats as they passed by (and inadvertently directing misguided traffic….) and the cheers of the crowd were, no doubt, a help in sorting out the final decisions. (See related story for winners.)

“The parade was wonderful,” commented Kym Stendahl, president of the parade committee. “It’s a real tribute to the many people in town who make it happen each year.”