Spirit of Princeton Hosts Annual Parade
Princeton’s Spirit of Princeton Memorial Day Parade celebrates members of the military services with a festive community parade, Saturday, May 24, at 10 a.m., on the same day as the Princeton University Alumni P-Rade, commencing at 2 p.m.
The parade’s grand marshal and featured speaker is USMC Sgt Ret. Alfred Brennan, a former Marine K9 Handler. When on deployment in 2010, he was severely injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) and lost his K9 partner Grief.
All residents — young and old and in between — are encouraged to wave their miniature American flags (provided at no cost by Spirit of Princeton) and greet the veterans and active members of the United States military services as they march down Nassau Street to Monument Plaza.
Rain or shine, the Spirit of Princeton Memorial Day Parade kicks off at 10 a.m. from the staging area of Nassau Street and Princeton Avenue. Those who are marching should arrive at 9:15 a.m. to the Monument Hall parking lot and take the shuttle bus to the parade staging area.
The parade route is one mile on Nassau Street ending at Monument Plaza, where a brief ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. on the steps of Monument Hall. The celebration ends by noon. All veterans are encouraged to march.
In addition to the veterans, participating community groups include:
Princeton Police Department; Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad; Princeton Fire Department; Princeton Council members (mayor and council members); MacGregor Pipe Band; American Legion Post 218; Princeton Cranbury Chapter Sons of the American Revolution; Princeton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps; Princeton Lodge # 38 Free and Accepted Masons, Crescent Shrine Mini Car Unit; Colonel Ogden’s First NJ Regiment; 5th Pennsylvania Regiment; Spencer’s Additional Continental Regiment; Trenton ROTC; Boy Scout Troop 43; Princeton Girl Scouts; Princeton Little League; Burlington City Marching Band; Princeton Active Circle; Mercer County Chapter of Sunshine Foundation.
Princeton Battlefield Society invites all Memorial Day Parade participants and viewers to continue the Memorial Day commemoration with A Day of Remembrance Program, 1 p.m., Princeton Battlefield State Park, 500 Mercer Street.
Residents then are welcomed back to the center of Princeton to watch Princeton University’s alumni parade (the P-rade) that kicks off at 2 p.m. at Princeton University’s FitzRandolph Gate and then wends its way through the campus.
The Memorial Day parade and ceremony are sponsored and implemented by the Spirit of Princeton, a charitable nonprofit group of local residents dedicated to bringing the community together through a variety of civic events, including the Memorial Day parade and ceremony, Flag Day ceremony, and the Veterans’ Day ceremony. Donations to The Spirit of Princeton are encouraged to ensure the future of these community events. See the website for information on how you can “Get Into The Spirit” by donating.
For further information, please call: 609-430-0144 or visit the website: www.spiritofprinceton.org.
Locust Hill Ceremony Honors Trenton’s Civil War Veterans
At least 10 African American Veterans of the Civil War rest in Trenton’s Locust Hill Ceremony. Since their deaths, much has changed in Trenton, and their graves were neglected for many years, but a restoration effort has now brought together residents, multiple city groups and civic leaders.
On Saturday, May 24, at 11 a.m. the public is invited to join them in honoring these veterans and all who served in a traditional flag placement ceremony. Locust Hill Cemetery is located at 73 Hart Avenue in Trenton’s East Ward. Ten flags will be planted in the Cemetery sod during the ceremony, one for each of the Civil War veterans buried there.
“The 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops are honored to perform this duty of rendering the proper respect to these nearly forgotten United States Army Civil War veterans. Their contributions at the pivotal point of US history when the question of whether the United States would survive as a nation shall never be overlooked again. We owe these people for the freedom we enjoy today, for what they did then,” said Algernon Ward, who initiated the Locust Hill restoration project and recently passed away.
The exact locations of their graves are unknown, and the identity of four of the veterans is “known only to God.” Nonetheless, they will be remembered with respect and gratitude for their service during our nation’s greatest hour of trial.
The flag placement is sponsored by the 6th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops Reenactors, the Kiwanis Club of Trenton and the City of Trenton. The ceremony is free and the public is encouraged to attend. For more information, call 609-208-9991 or email mccormicknj@aol.com.
