HICKORY TREE CHORUS MEMBERS (l-r) Susan Williams, Carolyn Schmidt, Rita Peyton, Shayna Atkinson and Dana Dunlevy. Ms. Peyton and Ms. Atkinson are Berkeley Heights residents.
Berkeley Heights Honors Veterans In Annual Memorial Day Celebration
By Jenny Xia
5/27/2009
BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ - On Memorial Day, Berkeley Heights Township paid tribute to America’s veterans by holding its annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony.
The parade began at 9:30 a.m. from the Berkeley Heights Rescue Squad situated off of Snyder Avenue. Sections of Springfield, Snyder and Plainfield Avenue were closed to clear a roadway for the parade.
The parade procession continued through downtown Berkeley Heights and stopped at Memorial Park, where crowds of Berkeley Heights residents waited to receive the paraders. A special motif of this year’s parade was the Berkeley Heights’ Bicentennial. New segments of the parade reflected the same town pride that the series of bicentennial flags in downtown Berkeley Heights help to convey.
ReMax Realtors contributed a new float in honor of the town’s two hundredth birthday. In addition, the Third New Jersey Regiment Revolutionary War Reenactment Group click-clacked down the avenues with buckled shoes and saluted townspeople with rifles in hand. The entire procession was led by the Grand Marshal Car in honor of this year’s selected Grand Marshal.
Adhering to Berkeley Heights tradition, the Town Council selected World War II veteran and current Berkeley Heights resident Mr. Richard Hodshon as the 2009 Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal Car was flanked by Berkeley Heights Town Council members and Mayor David Cohen.
The Berkeley Heights Police and Fire Departments rolled by with a fanfare of honks and sirens. Following the Berkeley Heights Senior Citizens Bus, the Governor Livingston High School Highlander Marching Band blared its trademark bagpipes. Color guards twirled bulls-eye patterned flags in rhythm with the band’s percussion section. Packs of vested girls and boys from Cub Scout, Brownies and Daisy Troops walked alongside parents, each flourishing an American flag. Girl and Boy Scout troop members clenched bags from which they fished out candy to throw to bystanders. A convoy of vintage cars and the Township Road Department Vehicles brought up the rear of the parade.
Events continued in Memorial Park, where Mayor Cohen greeted town residents. "It seems every year we get a better Memorial Day," remarked Cohen, "This parade would not have been possible without our Recreation Committee."
The Memorial Day ceremony commenced with the induction of 2009 Grand Marshal Richard Hodshon. Hodshon is a Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander, volunteer department serviceman and a member of the Berkeley Heights Senior Club. Fellow veteran Frank Perlzak characterized Hodshon as an active man. "He seems to have endless energy and is most happy when serving others," Perlzak avowed.
Seventh grader Kira Prabhu recited her essay, "Why American Veterans Should Be Honored" in tribute to the nation’s soldiers. Her essay won third place nationally in the Patriot’s Pen essay contest, earning her an invitation to the VFW convention in June. Prabhu emphasized national respect and gratitude toward the nation’s veterans. She concluded firmly in her essay, "American veterans should and will be honored."
The musical segment of the ceremony included a patriotic medley, "This is My Country," sung by members of the Hickory Tree Chorus. The Highlander Band played "Amazing Grace" as the township set aside a moment in honor of deceased members of VFW Post 6259. Eighth grader Bridget Crisonino sang "America the Beautiful" and the ceremony drew to a close with "Veterans of the USA," a salute sung by Dennis and Christina Ryan.
The annual Berkeley Heights Memorial Day Ceremony formally ended with a benediction by Union Village United Methodist Church Pastor, Reverend Grace Pak. The celebration, however, then resumed with complementary refreshments and hot dogs in Memorial Field.
courtesy: thealternativepress.com
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