RUMFORD – At 8:45 a.m. Monday, marching music revved from Canal Street behind the Muskie Building as the crowd lining Congress Street waited for the Memorial Day parade to begin.
They and the marchers seemed anxious as dark, rain-laden clouds swirled menacingly overhead. But the rain held off as the 15-minute procession consisting of police cars, firetrucks, colorfully garbed veterans, scouts, area high school bands and young athletes paraded to a stop at Memorial Green beside Route 2 at the rotary.
There, former state Sen. Norman Ferguson of Hanover shared personal anecdotes and honored those who gave their lives in the nation’s military actions.
“In 1943, I was 10 years old and in awe of our soldiers and sailors. They were my heroes,” Ferguson said, explaining why he focused his speech mainly on World War II. “I’d like to honor not just the sacrifices of our men and women who died protecting our freedom, but the memorial as well. Let us keep the faith for those who gave their last full measure of devotion.”
People stood as sentinels around the rotary, ringing Memorial Green and watching as Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1644 Commander George Jenkins and American Legion Post 24 Commander Robert Belanger laid a wreath of remembrance at the base of the veterans memorial.
Then, standing at attention and saluting, they waited as two young trumpet players solemnly performed “Taps,” one after the other with the latter sounding plaintively muted.
And then, while the threat of rain hung heavy in the cool air, the procession regrouped, marching down Waldo Street and onto Lincoln Avenue, en route to the Mexico Greens to lay another wreath. There, relatives of some of the men whose names appear on the veterans’ monument, spoke.
Parade participants included members of the local Civil Air Patrol who carried the colors for the American Legion. They were joined by other color guards from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and local Snowshoe Club, a group of baton-twirling girls and a group of young gymnasts who somersaulted more than they marched.
tkarkos@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
