CRANFORDLIFE UNIONNEWSDAILY.COM
NOVEMBER 2022
VOL. 07 NO. 03
Scarecrow Stroll returns
— See Page 4
Ducky Derby is a success
Photo by Steve Ellmore
Photo Courtesy of Matthew Nazzaro
Above left, Cranford celebrates its police department’s 125th anniversary with a parade on Oct. 23. Above right, the parade’s grand marshal, retired police Chief Harry Wilde, gives a thumbs-up during the event. For more photos, see pages 14 and 15.
Police celebrate 125th anniversary — See Page 5
Photos are on display
— See Page 12
By David Jablonski Managing Editor A little rain proved no obstacle at all for Cranford Police Department, when it celebrated 125 years of service with an anniversary parade on Sunday, Oct. 23. Kicking off at 12:30 p.m., this “driving parade” consisted of emergency vehicles and specialized equipment from local, county, state and federal agencies. “It was a wonderful day,” said Detective Lt. Matthew Nazzaro in an interview with Cranford Life on Sunday, Oct. 23. “There was a little drizzle, but it didn’t discourage our residents from coming out, and we thank them for this. People came out to support us. It was a wonderful display to support us along both roadways, Springfield Avenue and North Union Avenue in downtown Cranford. There were 30 to 40 vehicles represented in the parade. “The parade committee has been involved for about 10 months, planning events during our milestone event, 125 years,” Nazzaro continued. “The parade was an opportunity for us to engage with our community and thank them for their support. “We had every municipality in Union County represented, as well as state police, county police, Kean University police and the Cranford Police Department. Every member came out to showcase all of our different equipment and our specialities. … Every
member of our 53-person department was there. “There was no interruption of services,” Nazzaro added. “We ensured there was adequate response at all times.” The parade’s grand marshal was Harry Wilde. “The Township Committee and police department renamed the entrance to the police department in his name, Harry Wilde Way, because he was a transformational leader for our organization through 2003, when he retired,” Nazzaro said. “We worked with a Boy Scout, Owen Giblin, from Troop 80 in Cranford, on his Eagle Scout project to create a sitting area to tie the area together and recognize the officers, both past and present, of the Cranford Police Department, especially Officer Robert Hand, who died in 1975.” This parade, however, was especially significant, particularly because Wilde was the grand marshal. “As the grand marshal, he was in a 1970s Plymouth that was marked to represent the current schematic of Cranford police cars, but with his badge number, No. 10,” said Nazzaro. “It was a good day, the culmination of a lot of good work, especially for Harry Wilde,” he continued. “I was hired as a dispatcher when he was chief of police. For lack of a better expression, he is Cranford royalty, and he makes you proud to be a member of the Cranford Police Department and a resident of Cranford.”
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