Final preparations are underway for the Bronx Veterans Day Parade.
The parade is set to take place on Sunday, November 13. Formation begins at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Lawton and East Tremont avenues.
The parade itself kicks off at noon and, after trips down Randall Avenue and the Throgs Neck Expressway service road, culminates at Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park.
Over 1,000 marchers are expected, including grand marshal Joe Garofalo, a World War II veteran from Morris Park, who maintains a veterans’ museum at John Dormi & Sons Funeral Home. Borough veterans and community groups are also slated to take part.
Parade organizers are also expecting over 1,000 spectators to line the parade route.
Mike Rahilly, chair of the veterans parade committee for the past three years, has racked his brain about how to maximize attendance..
“The only thing is that we’re hoping for is that we have a better turnout along the parade route,” Rahilly said. “It seems very hard to get people out to enjoy the parade. I have no idea if I knew, I’d fix it.”
Rahilly, who served on the committee for over seven years before becoming chair, has been reaching out to as many groups as possible and trying to drum up interest among first-time marchers.
The Bronx Veteran’s Day Parade has been held in Throggs Neck for 27 years. There was a borough-wide parade on Grand Concourse during in early part of the 20th century.
Judy Lanci has sat on the parade’s organizing committee for the past three years. She said that parade continues to grow each year that she has been involved.
“For the last several years the parade has been getting bigger and bigger,” she said.
The NYPD and FDNY will both be represented at the parade. And the Mother Cabrini Band will perform at Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park.
There will also be a pre-parade breakfast at Villa Barone Manor, sponsored by Senator Jeff Klein.
In addition to Garofalo, the committee will recognize Bronx veterans who have passed within the last year, as honorary grand marshals.
“We want everyone (in the neighborhood) to turn out, so hopefully the weather will be great,” Lanci said. “We really want to honor our veterans, so this is a special day.”
Bill Weisbrod can be reached via e-mail at bweisbrod@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 742-3394.
