A Beautiful Day for a Parade

On Monday afternoon, it seemed like every single resident of Farmingdale and Howell made their ways to the borough's sidewalks and took in the annual Memorial Day parade, with hundreds walking down the streets and thousands viewing the parade from their respective locations.

Farmingdale resident Kim Farrington organized this year’s event and said she began planning this parade along with the parade committee at the beginning of this year. She said she was thrilled with the turnout, and very glad the weather held up for the occasion.

“I’ve lived in Farmingdale all my life, and seeing the parade come together like this is just amazing,” she said.

Walking in this year’s parade were everyone from local town council members, to former Parade Grand Marshalls, to many Boy and Girl Scout troops from the local area. 

One such troop was Boy Scout Troop 317, and they prepared a float to march from for the parade day. Scout Master Don Glenn said he was proud of his troop for all their preparation and was excited for the parade to get underway.

“It is great to see such a positive turn out from the community today,” he said. 

Following the Boy Scouts was Brownie Scout Troop 1549, located in Howell. These girls prepared their own float as well, and members of the troop decorated their float with an American theme. Some girls even made their own wristbands out of duct tape that they colored in with red, white and blue. Co-leaders Tracy Khaleel and Kay Warren headed this troop. 

One of the most talked about groups marching in the parade were the Shriners. These individuals drove around in crescent mini cars, modeled after the old-time Tin Lizzie automobile. One of the group’s members, Carter King, noted how all money the Shriners received during the parade would go to the Shriners hospital in Philadelphia, and the parades were something he loved being a part of.

“We’re always happy to come out to this parade,” Mr. King said. “It’s great to see families, and kids get a kick out of what we are driving.”

Following the Shriners in the parade was the Howell Middle School North Marching Band, led by band director Bonnie Kovalak. Ms. Kovalak noted the band had been practicing for this day for an entire month, and she was excited to see the band put all their hard work to use during their performance at the parade. 

“They’ve been ready to perform for a while now, and we can’t wait to play the Marine’s Hymn for everyone in attendance,” she said. 

Genevieve Hastick of Shark River wore one of the more unique costumes of the day. She is a member of the Happy Days String Band, and wore an outfit that was part peacock and part jester (see pictures of the parade on the side of this article).

She explained the group plays a quick paced style of music, almost like a ragtime sound. She noted the group has 45 members, and though about 20 only made the trek to Farmingdale to perform in the parade, she was still excited to play their unique style of music for the crowd.

Another neat costume was found with the Farmingdale Elementary School students, with one student dressing as the school’s mascot, a Viking. Diane Galuppo, the faculty advisor for the school, said this year’s theme for the students was “Out of this World,” so the students built a spaceship to ride down Main Street on.

“We are all so excited for this event,” said Farmingdale School Superintendent Cheri Crowl. “This is a tradition in our area, and we are glad to be bringing this slice of Americana to all the local residents.”

It also wasn’t just humans who were in on the parade marching act, as the local 4-H club made their presence felt during the parade. Ciara Cavanaugh, 14 of Howell, walked through the parade with her prized rabbit, 3 year old Whitey.

“Whitey loves the parade,” Ciara said with a smile. “We’ve walked in this parade every year, and he’s real calm even with the big crowd.”

Perhaps the proudest person walking in the parade on Monday was Ken Siegle, of the Farmingdale Historical Society. Mr. Siegle noted he has grown up in the town and has lived in Farmingdale for a while now. When asked why this parade is so special to him, he noted that the parade shows him how close-knit the local community truly is.

“It just means that the high quality of this town has not changed in all the years that I have lived here,” he said.

The day started a few hours earlier at Howell Town Hall with a ceremony led by the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign War. Several residents who had served their country in the past as well as a large turnout from the Howell Police Department were in attendance as a wreath was laid at the township's monuments.