Plans for the Labor Day Parade are underway

With the registration deadline extended for the 62nd Newtown Labor Day Parade, organizers can expect dozens of groups wanting to participate in the town’s long-standing summer-ending celebration.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 2, from Main Street at Currituck Road. Participants will travel south on Main Street, turn onto Glover Avenue, follow it, and then turn left onto Queen Street. The route ends at the intersection of Queen Street and Church Hill Road.

Parade marshals Sue and Jim Shortt will lead the ceremony along with their hand-picked judges. This group will disembark in front of the My Place restaurant, where the award winners’ stand will be set up between the popular eatery and the neighboring Bank of America.

The presenters will be stationed on Queen Street with the Shortts and their judges – Chris Locke, Eileen Marchese, Lee Paulsen, Theresa Salvatore and Janet Volmer. The Shortts will be supervised by Locke and the judges will be transported along the parade route by Jimmy Johnson.

The theme of this year’s parade is “Garden of Abundance.”

After nearly 30 years of organic farming, the Shortts have become a mainstay in town, feeding thousands through their farm store, their community-supported agriculture program and through their partnership with Real Food CT. Earlier this year, they opened an ice cream stand, shortly after their farm was certified organic by the USDA.

The farm on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook was founded in 1995 by Jim and his late mother, Dolly Shortt. Since then, it has continued to operate and expand. Jim and Sue’s sons James and Jesse are now involved in the family business. A small staff complements the Shortts’ work.

Melissa Kopcik, co-coordinator of the Labor Day Parade Line of March, described the couple as “familiar, friendly faces in town” when she announced their appointments as grand marshals earlier this year. The committee was looking for unsung heroes of the town, she said in June, “and these two hard-working farmers were an obvious choice.”

Parade notes

On September 2nd, two support departments will once again open the parade. Following a long-standing tradition, the Newtown Police Department, the Newtown PD Honor Guard and the Newtown High School Marching Band & Color Guard will take the lead positions.

The parade consists of four divisions this year and has 71 registered organizations, clubs, bands, nonprofits, businesses and others through August 21.

Kopcik is excited that this year’s parade will feature many returning participants as well as some newcomers.

“The excitement is building and the turnout is great this year,” she said on Aug. 19. “People participating for the first time include Sporre Tree Service, Plato’s Closet, Pixie Dust Princesses, Tap & Pony Mobile Bar Truck, Danbury Hat Tricks Junior Hockey Players and the one and only ‘Tina Turner.'”

“Turner” will join recurring impersonators Neil Diamond and Elvis Presley who have performed in recent years.

The Newtown Forest Association, which is celebrating its centennial this year, “is back after a multi-year hiatus,” Kopcik said. The NFA plans to showcase the new Christmas tree it will soon plant at the Sandy Hook Center, she said.

“It will be a great sight,” she added. “We welcome you and look forward to seeing the new Christmas tree.”

The Newtown 10U and 9U Hawks teams are also on the march. Both Newtown Babe Ruth baseball teams had a great summer. The 10Hawks won the state championship and then represented New England in the Cal Ripken World Series, where they won 3-1 in group play. The 9U team ended its season in mid-July by placing second in its age group at the New England Regional Tournament.

Judges will not only have some of the best spots along the route that morning, but will also take notes to compare them to each other after the last competitor passes their location. Awards will be announced for Best Float, Best Musical Entry (Junior or Senior), Most Patriotic, Best School, Best Fire Department, Best New Entry, Most Appropriate Parade Theme, Most Colorful Entry, Biggest Crowd Favorite (also known as the Rooster Award), and Best Non-Musical.

The full march itinerary will be published in print and online next week.

Fundraising continues

The Newtown Labor Day Parade Committee generally needs between $25,000 and $30,000 to put on the Labor Day Parade, Kopcik said recently. While some of those funds are raised through entry fees, the committee relies on sponsorships and donations.

Kopcik happily announced on August 15 that the committee was “almost there.”

The parade is a 501(c)(3) organization, is 100% self-funded and organized by volunteers.

Donations can be made through newtownctlabordayparade.org. Checks made payable to Newtown Labor Day Parade Inc can be sent to Newtown Labor Day Parade, PO Box 746, Newtown CT 06470.

The parade route will be closed to non-parade traffic from 9:30 a.m. on the day of the parade and will remain closed until at least 12:30 p.m. or until the last unit has completed the route.

=====

Editor-in-Chief Shannon Hicks can be reached at [email protected].

Tappan Zee Bridge Men perform during the 2023 Newtown Labor Day Parade. The band won Best New Entry after their Newtown debut last year and is set to perform again in a few weeks. —Bee archive photo

“Elvis Presley” will perform during the 2023 Labor Day Parade. “The King” will be joined this year by a returning “Neil Diamond” and new parade addition “Tina Turner.” —Bee archive photo