Yesterday’s Veteran’s Day parade in Leonardtown was the largest Veteran’s Day parade in town history and by-far the largest in the state of Maryland. It was incredible. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny. The crowd was huge. The parade was even larger.
Classic cars(and trucks), marching bands, civic organizations, fire trucks and ambulances, superheroes, horses, aspiring politicians, and of course Veterans, this parade had it all! Staging for the parade filled up the Ryken High School parking lot. The parade stepped off at 9:45 and proceeded up the hill and through downtown Leonardtown. Announcing the participants in the parade were Leonardtown Mayor Dan Burris, Board of Education member Mary Washington and local persona Barbara Ives.
There were 168 entries in the parade and over 2400 people participated. It is the largest Veteran’s Day Parade in Maryland and I would guess possibly the entire east coast! Governor Larry Hogan was extremely active in the parade, shaking as many hands as possible. I was especially excited because Harford County Executive and Maryland Comptroller Candidate Barry Glassman was able to join us in the parade! His comment after the parade was that he had never seen a parade that large or with such an incredible spectator turnout, especially considering it is in the middle of the week.
Following the parade there was a moving Wreath laying ceremony. It included a moment of silence for September 11th and essays being shared by local elementary school students. If you’ve never attended this parade before, mark it on your calendar for next year! You can see a lot more photos on the county’s Flickr page here!
In other parts of the county, the St. Mary’s Commission for Women delivered gifts to women veterans living at the Charlotte Hall Veteran’s Home. This annual tradition is an incredible way to recognize some of our older veterans who may not be able to get out and attend the parades and celebrations.
Thank you to all of our veterans who served. We owe you a lot.
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