The annual Lycoming County Veterans Parade takes place this Saturday, November 9, in Montoursville. The parade forms on Mill Street between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and steps off at 2 p.m. It will proceed east on Broad Street. The Lycoming County Veterans Parade Committee organizes the event. This year’s title sponsor is Horizon Credit Union. Division Sponsors include Muncy Bank and Trust, Blaise Alexander Subaru, Billy O. Brandt VFW Post 5859, and Eugene Grafius American Legion Post 104.

The parade’s Grand Marshal is former longtime Montoursville Mayor, John Dorin and Parade Ambassador is World War II veteran, Andrew Johnson.

According to Linda Zarcyzny, secretary of the Lycoming County Veterans Parade Committee, there are supposed to be about 1,500 participants in the parade. These include Edward Mahoney Pipe Band from NYC along with our local Police Veterans, Nittany Highland Pipe Band from State College, WAHS Marching Band, E. Lycoming Marching Band, Montgomery Marching Band, and Montoursville Marching Band. Additionally, there will also be various scout troops, church groups, fire departments, businesses, and military organizations.

This year’s parade will be live-streamed by East Lycoming School at http://livestream.com/eastlycoming/veterans for those that cannot attend the parade.

For many years, beginning in the 1920s, an annual parade was held here in Lycoming County to mark Armistice Day, the end of World War I, this later evolved into a parade recognizing all veterans when the date became known “Veterans Day.” This celebration of patriotism continued until it seemed to fade away in the early 1980s.

It was revived in 2013 at the behest of a committee made up of area veterans put together by and encouraged by then State Representative Rick Mirabito and groups such as iHeart Media. It was decided to rotate the parade among the various communities in Lycoming County. The first revived parade was held in the City of Williamsport on the Saturday nearest to Veterans Day. This year’s, of course, is in Montoursville. Next year’s parade will return to the City of Williamsport and will begin its next municipal rotation.

Zarcyzny said parade organizers are grateful to American Legion Post 104, Montoursville, for all the help they render to the parade, including the use of their facility for parade planning meetings.