Healthy Soil, Healthy Plants

MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

Celebrates 69th Year

Alifelong resident of St. Clair Shores, Mayor Kip Walby does not remember missing a single Memorial Day Parade. His favorite memories include the whole neighborhood sitting on the curb in the late ’60s and early ’70s. “I lived in the heyday,” Walby says. “We would always have a cookout in the neighborhood.”

2022 marks the 69th year of the St. Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade. It will be held on Harper Avenue, between Ridgeway and 11 Mile Road, on Sunday, May 29 at 1 p.m. Each year, the parade boasts about 160 entries, making it one of the largest parades of its kind in the area.

“It’s the pride of St. Clair Shores,” Walby says. “It’s a large parade celebrating veterans, and we should be very proud of it. It’s our signature event. So many people remember being in the parade, and then they’re marching with their kids because of band and sports... it’s very generational.”

While estimates vary on the size of the crowds that the parade draws, Walby prefers a conservative guess of “50,000 to 60,000 people, if it’s a sunny day.” Sometimes, he says, the sidelines are eight people deep. His best advice for those who want a good spot? “Get there early, the earlier the better.” The closer to the curb, the better chance the kids have of collecting a stash of candy.

To stay up to date on details about the parade, go to www.facebook.com/scsmemorialdayparade

Bottom Left: United States Air Force Honor Guard Photo by Tracy Jarrett Photography Top Left: Vehicles from the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy Museum in Warren, Mich. Photo by Tracy Jarrett Photography Middle Left: Mayor Kip Walby with his wife Michele Walby Photo courtesy of St. Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade Middle Right: Lakeview High School Marching Band Photo by Tracy Jarrett Photography Bottom Right: Announcers Robert Ihrie and Deborah O’Brien Photo courtesy of St. Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade

BY ANNA SWARTZ