Parade to restart town's tradition

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Organizers are hoping for community support.

By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

GIRARD — Homecoming parades with a huge dose of community fellowship were once a yearly thing in the city, and one woman hopes to bring that image back to the city again.

City resident Joanne Sura said homecoming parades in the city have stopped for more than 10 years, but she still remembers the general excitement and community togetherness they brought each year.

"The streets were always lined with people waiting for the parade to come by," she said. "They would come with their chairs and bags waiting for candy. It was just a wonderful community event."

Now, when the summer months are winding down, Sura hopes to recreate that community togetherness. She said recreating a parade similar to that of years past would be a wonderful way to revitalize community spirit.

"The reason I wanted to do this is because we have had a lot of bad publicity, and I wanted to bring something positive back to the community and also bring the community back out and together again," she said.

Sura is planning a large-scale parade for Aug. 18. She said the exact route of the parade has not yet been determined, but it will likely run down U.S. Route 422 directly through the center of town.

Sura said the parade will be in conjunction with the Girard-Liberty Rotary Annual Club Car Show. She said the car show will run from 3 to 11 p.m., but those in attendance can catch the parade starting at 7 p.m., when there is a break in scheduled entertainment at the car show.

According to Sura, organizers chose to have the parade at the end of summer in conjunction with the car show because it would be set apart from other festivities at the beginning of summer and serve as a good way to close out the summer months.

Worth a try, mayor says

Mayor James Melfi said it would be wonderful to see community support for bringing a large-scale parade back to the city.

"This is a great idea to bring back a parade to Girard. Our homecoming parade was noted throughout the Valley, a nice old-fashioned event. I am curious to see if there is the same level of support. It is worth giving it a try," he said.

Sura said she would like to make the parade an annual weekend-long event if it is successful, but that largely depends on community response. She is hoping more people come forward to be part of the parade.

The bottom line, Sura said, is that everyone in the community has a good time.

"I just want to know that people from the community came out had a good time and visited with their neighbors again, just like times in the past," she said.

jgoodwin@vindy.com

Tuesday, June 5, 2007