A grateful community and nation

SALISBURY— The Salisbury Memorial Day parade kicked off promptly at 10 a.m. under clear blue skies.

As the band struck up and flashing lights and the occasional whoop of a siren began on Main Street by the Scoville Memorial Library,  down at the intersection of Main Street and Undermountain Road, emergency personnel issued last-second parade avoidance directions to unwary motorists.

The parade included the Salisbury Band, Salisbury Central School band (as one unit), the Redhawks hockey team, the Rotary Club, the Lakeville Hose Company, the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service, and Salisbury’s veterans, most in uniform.

At the cemetery, Rev. John Nelson of the Salisbury Congregational Church gave the invocation.

“May those who committed their lives to neighbor and country live in our memory, and their best dreams join with ours, to build harmony and grace on earth.”

Michael Anthony Parris recited the Gettysburg Address,  and David Bayersdorfer read the “Roll of Honored Dead.”

Rev. Heidi Truax of Trinity Lime Rock Episcopal Church provided the  benediction included “Grant us the wisdom and strength to carry forward the lessons of remembrance, so that the sacrifice of the past may serve as a beacon of hope for future generations.”

The parade then reassembled itself and retraced itself. Many in the crowd following along stopped for an ice cream sandwich on the Green by the White Hart, where the Salisbury Visiting Nurses Assocation was handing out the treats as fast as they could open the boxes.

The Salisbury Band played the National Anthem as a breeze caused the flags to fly at the cemetery. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

The Salisbury Band played the National Anthem as a breeze caused the flags to fly at the cemetery. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan