Parade corner

Two months to go

After 37 years as Chairman of the Camillus Memorial Day Parade Committee, Ed Fletcher knows how much time and effort goes into putting on the county’s largest parade.

He reported this week that, halfway through March, everything is pretty much set and now the committee is heading into fundraising season.

“We’re pretty much all set — we have the main speaker, the theme, we’ve got to start working on the program now,” Fletcher said.

Parade fans will be happy to know that The Hitmen will be returning this year.

“The Hitmen have been the thing for the last few years,” Fletcher said. Since Fletcher became head of the committee, the parade has grown, and lately the Rochester-based big band has been the hit of the whole show.

Soon the annual “Be a Star, Buy a Star” fundraising program will be well under way, and then it’s just a few more weeks until big day.

Fletcher made note of his right-hand-man, co-chairman Bernie Bunce.

“Bernie’s done a great job, he has been really great,” Fletcher said. “He’s really been tremendous.”

The committee met Thrusday evening for their March monthly meeting. Look for an update on the progress in the first issue of the Eagle Observer this week.

The Parade Corner will be a regular feature in The Advocate in the weeks leading up to the Camillus Memorial Day parade, so that local residents may get a taste of the planning and preparation that goes into staging Onondaga County’s largest Memorial Day parade. The event is set for May 25 this year.