The sun came out early and so did Sloatsburg residents as friends and family gathered along Rt. 17 to enjoy the annual Memorial Day parade through the village Monday morning. Led by the Suffern High School Marching Band, the parade wound its way from Memorial Park at Village Hall through the village center and around Eagle Valley Road to the Sloatsburg Cemetery.

Residents lined the road and walked the parade route amid rising humidity plenty of sunshine, waving to friends and taking pictures as the Suffern band played — Sloatsburg was one of three stops of the day for the busy band. Sloatsburg Mayor Carl Wright and Deputy Mayor and Village Trustee Mark Reimer and Trustees Peter Akey and Barbara Berntsen, walked alongside Reverand Niranjan Rodrigo from St. Joan of Arc Church and Father Joseph Emmanuel of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Tuxedo as the procession headed to the cemetery for the final laying of the wreath, in memory of the men and woman who died while serving in the military.

The parade also included Sloatsburg Volunteer Fire Department trucks, and officers who donned their dress best, the Sloatsburg Ambulance Corps, a contingent of flag waving local Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts, and members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The parade eventually wound its way to Sloatsburg Community Fields for much-needed refreshments, courtesy of the Village of Sloatsburg.

Source: Photos courtesy of Geoff Welch.