On May 26th, 2025 residents of South Windsor gathered along Nutmeg and Pleasant Valley Road to spectate the annual Memorial Day parade to pay tribute to the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives while in service for their country.
The parade started at 10am and ended close to 11am with an awards ceremony taking place after at Veteran’s Memorial Park. Starting at Nutmeg Road, the participants in the parade marched down Pleasantville Road as well ending at Veterans Memorial Park.
A highlight for many spectators was South Windsor High School’s Band performance. The band performed the song armed forces salute the entire march in the parade. The armed forces salute is a piece that honors all the military branches by combining all of the armed forces songs into one as a medley. This performance drew much applause from the crowd.
“It is our honor to our community to march the streets of South Windsor as we play the armed forces salute,” band teacher, Angelica Jackson told The Prowl.
Freshman trombone player RIya Korah commented, “It felt really good to be able to participate in the parade because it felt good to honor all the veterans and fallen soldiers.”
Along with the band, many local groups participated including, Boyscouts and Girlscouts, different clubs around town such as the travel basketball teams, the Historical Society, Town Council members, including Mayor Audrey Delnicki, Maura Fitzgerald, Michael Maniscalco, and Carolyn Carey as well as Representative Tom Delnicki and Senator Saud Anwar marched.
First responders also played a role in the parade as they drove past in ambulances, fire engines, and police cruisers waving to the spectators. Members of South Windsor Police Station, volunteer fire departments, and EMT’s all precipitated in this portion of the parade.
Midway through the parade, numerous classic cars were driven by veterans. These vehicles caught the attention of many spectators.
“I thought it was cool to see the unique classic cars because it’s a view of how they used to look,” SWHS freshmen Emma Gordon commented.
This parade is a great way for the South Windsor community to come together to honor those who served. Not only is the parade enjoyable to watch, but a reminder of the importance of Memorial Day.
