Memorial parades set: Hawley, Honesdale and Milford

Peter Becker and David Mazzenga, Tri-County Independent
·5 min read

WAYNE /PIKE — Memorial Day Weekend 2022 will be observed with parades in Hawley, Honesdale and Milford, and services conducted by local veteran organizations to honor veterans and those who gave their lives in service.

Here's a look at the events.HAWLEY

The Memorial Day activities in Hawley, Wayne County is set for Sunday, May 29 with a veteran's service at 11:30 a.m. followed with the parade at 1 p.m.Hawley American Legion Wilson-Kelch Post 311 will conduct the Laying of the Wreath Ceremony at 11:30 a.m. from the bridge by the park. Immediately following there will be a flag ceremony at the monument along Park Place adjacent to Bingham Park, near the Senior Center. The public is invited. Robert Gallick is the Post Commander."On behalf of Hawley Borough and Hawley Borough Police we would like to say thank you to all our veterans and their families," a statement from the borough reads.This year there are two Grand Marshals being honored in the parade, both members of Post 311. They are World War II Veteran Walter Grub and Vietnam Veteran Hank Schroeder. Watch them ride in Division I.The parade lineup is at noon off Church Street near the railroad crossing. The parade steps off at 1 p.m. and proceeds up Church Street where it turns and heads up Main Avenue, concluding at Bingham Park. See the lineup for the six divisions of the parade below.

The lineup for the six divisions, as of Tuesday, is as follows:DIVISION 1Hawley Borough PolicePennsylvania State PoliceWayne County Sheriff’s DepartmentPike County Sheriff’s DepartmentHonesdale Borough PoliceForest City PoliceLehigh Township PoliceWaymart PoliceHawley American Legion and Auxiliary Marching GroupsNational Guard 109thGrand MarshalsWallenpaupack High School BandWayne County CommissionersCongressman Matt CartwrightHawley Mayor John NicholsHawley Borough CouncilWayne County Judge Honorable Janine EdwardsWayne County District Attorney A. G. HowellMagisterial District Judge Bonnie CarneyWayne County TreasurerWayne County ProthonotaryWayne County CoronerBethany MayorHonesdale MayorHonesdale Borough OfficialsWaymart MayorAll other State, County, or municipal officials

DIVISION 2Richard Teeter with 1949 HudsonFraschetti Classic CarBoy ScoutsGirl ScoutsCub ScoutsSea ScoutsDance Team from the Hub/Natalie BoydWayne County Dairy Princess and Wayne/Pike Farmer’s AssociationWayne County Council of Republican Women/Republican CommitteeWayne County Democratic CommitteeMeg RosenfeldMarian KeeganHawley Homeschool GroupMagistrate Alan Cooper and Challenger Division Baseball Team

DIVISION 3Hawley Downtown PartnershipWayne County Historical Society Spencer Steam TractorThe Ridge/Beth RosittoCrazy Country ClubPaupack Watering HoleManuel Rojas Classic CarKenny Gilmore 57 ChevyClassic carsPocono Mountain Visitors Bureau PTN vanWomen in the Wind Motorcycle Group/Silver HawksWayne County Heroin Task ForceWatson BrothersGary's TowingMike’s Auto Service & TowingMoser TruckingWoodloch PinesPalmer & Son TrucksKoberlein Environmental Services

DIVISION 4Dime BankHonesdale National BankWayne BankRelay for LifeHabitat for HumanityBaer Sport Center/ Hog ChapterHawley DPWPalmyra Township (Wayne County)

DIVISION 5Local and Regional Fire DepartmentsHawleyBeach LakeBlooming GroveCentralForestGreeleyGreene-DreherHamlinHemlock FarmsHonesdaleLackawaxenLake ArielLakevilleLedgedaleMadisonvilleSeelyvilleShoholaTaftonWaymartWhite Mills

DIVISION 6Emergency Medical Service VehiclesCommonwealthLackawaxen EMSLake Region AmbulanceHamlin AmbulancePike County EMATafton AmbulanceWhite Mills AmbulanceWayne County Emergency Management.

HONESDALEHonesdale, Wayne County's Memorial Day Parade is set to step off at 10 a.m., Monday, May 30 in honor of those service men and women who have passed on. A Memorial Service follows in Central Park at 11 a.m., followed by a dropping of a wreath at the Church Street bridge around 11:45, and another ceremony at Veterans Park on Fair Avenue, at noon.Those interested in marching in the parade can contact the Parade Committee by email to register: honesdaleparade@gmail.com.This year's Grand Marshals include Clarence Meyer, Ray Rutledge and Amos Rutledge, all Damascus graduates who enlisted together and returned to their communities upon completing their service.The parade route starts at the 5th Street intersection on Main. Marchers will walk down Main Street, turning onto 9th Street and heading into Central Park.Old hats of the Honesdale parade circuit will recognize this route as the shorter route adopted last year in compliance with COVID regulations.Parade Chairman Jessica Pachuta explained the Committee sought to return the route to its full Main Street march, terminating in Triangle Park on North Main Street, but changes to flagger requirements made that unfeasible. Flaggers are now required to be posted on every street corner of a parade route. For the traditional Memorial Day Parade route, this would require 36 certified traffic controllers. For the current parade route, which is also marched by the Jaycees' annual Halloween Parade and other holiday festival marches, only 12 are needed.Pachuta explained to hire enough to cover the traditional route would have cost several thousand dollars, an expense she would much rather be donated directly to the VFW post than raised for a one-off expense.Those interested in marching in the parade can contact the Parade Committee by email to register: honesdaleparade@gmail.com.Pachuta encouraged those willing to donate their time to reach out and become a certified parade flagger for this and other parades in the area. Those interested can learn more by emailing the same address.The Memorial Day Parade and Ceremonies are sponsored and planned by the Honesdale VFW, DAV, and the American Legion in remembrance of those who have died in service to our country.

MILFORDVFW Mountain Laurel Post 8612 will be hosting Milford, Pike County's annual Memorial Day parade this year, Monday, May 30, and the ceremonies that follow.Greg Protosko, VFW commander said that lineup is at 10 a.m. on 5th Street; step-off is at 10:15 a.m. The parade heads to West Harford Street (Route 6) and turns up Broad Street, ending at the Veterans Monument at Broad and West High Streets.Joining with the VFW will be the other veteran organizations in Milford, the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans Association and Marine Corps League. Various fire departments and the Little League also participate in the parade.Protosko, an Army veteran of the war in Iraq, will be the keynote speaker at the ceremony at the monument. Afterwards, the Legion and Marine Corps League will host the wreath ceremony at Milford Beach.The VFW will be proceeding to the Milford Cemetery for a ceremony remembering decorated World War II Army veteran Robert Uhlman of Shohola who died at age 97. He was a life member in VFW Post 8612, Protosko said. Sergeant Uhlman served in the 24th Infantry Division in Europe where he was a section leader for the machine gun crews. He died November 30, 2020.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Memorial Day Weekend parades set: Hawley, Honesdale & Milford