Yorktown Residents Pause to Celebrate Veterans

Commerce Street was a mosaic of red, white and blue Monday morning as residents clapped and cheered on participants in the Memorial Day parade.

The day meant something different to everyone who watched. Some younger residents experienced the parade for the first and for them it was a day of sheer excitement. For others, it was a day to remember friends and family. Stacy Winokur, whose family observes the parade each year, said Memorial Day is a time to remember and thank those who have served.

 “I just like being here, to watch and honor the veterans,” she said. “They deserve it.”

Winokur’s son, Sam, enjoyed watching the parade alongside his sister, Sarah.

“I like when they showed off the all the cars,” he said.

Much to Sam’s delight, antique cars were a part of the annual parade. Fire trucks, marching veterans, and the Yorktown High School and Mildred E. Strang Middle School bands made the parade a Yorktown event that left children excited to see what was next.

Some families were both observers and participants in this year’s parade.  Peter, Augie and Schulyer Ferdinandson are three generations of veterans who participated in the parade. Schulyer was one of three men who shot off guns to mark the beginning of the parade, which began at Town Hall.

“It’s a day about memories,” said World War II veteran John Collins, who observed the parade with Air Force Veteran, Fran Proceller. “I think it’s a day to pause. It’s a day to think of all of those who have lost their lives but also those who have come home but are wounded physically and mentally…. we need to remember those who are still with us, and thank them as well.”

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