Veterans join forces in Burlington to bring back community's forgotten Memorial Day parade

Mar. 30—BURLINGTON — The Burlington Memorial Day Parade is coming back from a three-year hiatus, after veterans groups took it upon themselves to revive the holiday tradition.

The resurrected parade is scheduled for 9 a.m.May 29 in Downtown Burlington, starting down Kane Street to Milwaukee Avenue and then heading to Echo Veterans Memorial Park.

It will take place on the final day of the Burlington Jamboree festival, which is coming back for a third straight year as the replacement of the defunct Burlington ChocolateFest event.

Unlike previous parades organized by the ChocolateFest group, the new Memorial Day Parade is being put together by veterans who were determined not to have another holiday without a parade.

"I was like, 'Hey, wait a minute. We've got to pick up the torch here,'" said organizer Jeffrey Harm, a member of American Legion Post 79 in Burlington.

The parade is a group effort involving the American Legion, VFW Post 2823, Disabled American Veterans and the Marine Corps League.

Organizers say the City of Burlington has approved the new parade plan, and the Burlington Community Fund Ltd. has allocated $9,000 in funding for the event.

Bil Scherrer, president of the Jamboree organizing committee, said he is happy to see a Memorial Day Parade coming back as part of Burlington's weekend holiday celebration.

Scherrer said that while his group is working to grow and promote the Jamboree festival, he no longer has enough manpower or other resources to handle the parade, too. He expressed appreciation for the veterans who are taking up the cause.

"They're doing it. It's their event," he said. "I think it's a wonderful thing. I think there should be a parade."

The Jamboree is scheduled May 26 to May 29, with four days of live music, carnival rides, food and more on the old ChocolateFest festival grounds at 681 Maryland Ave.

For many years, ChocolateFest organizers also presented a Memorial Day Parade in Downtown Burlington as part of the festival.

The parade and festival both were canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ChocolateFest struggled to rebound in subsequent years, partly because the pandemic was continuing and partly because Burlington city leaders were moving away from the community's longstanding "Chocolate City U.S.A." image.

When the Jamboree emerged in 2021 as the successor to ChocolateFest, it started out small, without a parade. The new festival grew larger in 2022, but still there was no parade.

Veterans groups have continued holding a Memorial Day ceremony each year at Echo Veterans Memorial Park. This year, they decided to bring back the parade, too.

Mike Olson, commander of VFW Post 2823, said he hopes the parade resembles past such events when as many as 40 groups and businesses entered floats and created a festive atmosphere along downtown streets.

Veterans have missed having a parade, Olson said, and some were disappointed that the event seemed to have been forgotten.

"The veterans — they want it back," he said. "And I'm glad it's coming back."

Organizers are seeking floats and other registered participants, and the Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce is trying to help stir up interest. Among the businesses lending assistance so far are Bubba's Brickyard bar and grill, and May's Insurance Agency.

Harm said he enjoyed the parade in its previous incarnation without ever realizing that it was part of ChocolateFest. He assumed veterans groups were involved, and that it would continue year after year.

When the parade suddenly disappeared for three years, Harm said, he and other veterans got together and rolled up their sleeves.

"Some of us got a little more ambitious, and pursued it," he said. "It's a collective effort."

Funding is coming from the Community Fund group, a private nonprofit that operates the Veterans Terrace event center under a lease with the City of Burlington.

Scherrer is promoting the parade, too, as he begins rolling out plans for the 2023 Jamboree.

"Everybody loves a parade," he said.

Olson admitted a little uncertainty, not only because the parade has been gone for four years, but also because it has been even longer since veterans had a hand in planning such an event.

Still, he said, veterans deserve a parade, even if it is not quite like everyone remembers it.

"It's good that we're bringing this back," he said. "It's coming back to the vets."

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