Forecast: Rain on our parades

Soggy weather may put damper on Memorial Day

By: Jeff Milgram
   Strike up the bands and get the troops ready to march. Memorial Day gets under way this weekend — if the weather cooperates — with picnics, patriotism and parades.
   Princeton will hold its Memorial Day Parade on Saturday. On Monday, West Windsor will hold its parade and Plainsboro will dedicate its veterans’ memorial.
   The weather may not help matters. The forecast for Saturday calls for rain and winds, with a high of only 57; late showers are called for Sunday, with a high of 68; Monday’s forecast isn’t much better, with the weatherman predicting late showers and a high of 64.
   Memorial Day, a time to remember those who died in America’s wars, is the unofficial kickoff to the summer season.
PRINCETON
   
The annual Memorial Day Parade in Princeton Borough will be a family affair with a father and son set of generals leading the event.
   Retired Brig. Gen. Kenneth Rieth will serve as the parade’s grand marshal and his son, Brig. Gen. Glenn Rieth, will be the keynote speaker at a ceremony after the parade, which begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, said Frank Tylus, parade chairman and member of Spirit of Princeton — the group that sponsors and organizes the parade as well as the Fourth of July fireworks show.
   "This year will be the best one yet," Mr. Tylus said.
   Both the generals will be escorted by honor guards from the New Jersey State Police, Princeton University Reserve Officers Training Corps and the 305th Air Mobility Wing of Maguire Air Force Base.
   Three Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps groups will march in the parade — Trenton Central High School JROTC, which has participated for the past five years, Pemberton Township High School JRPTC and St. Peter’s High School of New Brunswick JROTC.
   The parade will also feature performances by six musical groups including Colonial Musketeers Fife and Drum Corps of Hackettstown, MacGregor Pipe Band of Ivyland, Pa., and the Burlington City High Blue Devils.
   The parade will kick off on Princeton Avenue and proceed west on Nassau Street to Princeton Borough Hall, where a ceremony will be held around 11:15 a.m. in the flag court of the Battlefield Monument Park.
   This year’s theme, as was the case last year, will be a salute to Korean War veterans and Korean-Americans living in the Princeton area and South Jersey. A group of dancers and musicians will accompany a delegation from the Korean American Association of New Jersey.
   The parade will also be a tribute to the heroes of the Sept. 11 attacks. Veterans of all wars as well as friends and relatives of those who perished on Sept. 11, 2001 are welcome to join the line of march or attend ceremonies following the parade.
   "Based on today, we’re marching," Mr. Tylus said Thursday. He said nothing short of a deluge would force the committee to call off the parade. "If it’s misting or drizzling, we’re marching. Let’s hope the predictions are wrong," he said.
   Mr. Tylus said the committee would have to seek new approvals because no rain date was specified in the original permit application.
   For more information, call (609) 921-3800.
WEST WINDSOR
   
In West Windsor, the Memorial Day parade will step off from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South at 11 a.m. Monday. The parade will travel down Clarksville Road to the all-wars memorial in front of the Municipal Building on the corner of Clarksville and North Post roads
   A noon ceremony will be held to honor veterans and a wreath will be placed on the all-wars memorial. Anyone interested in walking in the parade should be at the high school at 10:30 a.m. The parade will be held rain or shine.
PLAINSBORO
   
Plainsboro Township will be holding a dedication ceremony to unveil its new veterans’ memorial at 9:30 a.m. Monday. The new memorial features a grid of trees with one missing, signifying the void left by the residents of Plainsboro who died or served in military conflicts throughout the 20th century. A fountain or pool in the void represents how the community continues to grow and live.
   The new memorial is located adjacent to the south side of the Municipal Building, in front of its balcony and near the loading area.
   The township’s existing veterans’ memorial was relocated to the new site as well. It used to sit on the corner of Edgemere Avenue and Plainsboro Road.
   The dedication will be held rain or shine.
   All township residents are invited to attend the dedication ceremony.
MONTGOMERY
   
Montgomery has not planned any Memorial Day events this year, but things may be different next year.
   Mayor Louise Wilson said the township planned nothing this year in part because many residents are away.
   She noted the township would like to hold some festivities next Memorial Day to coincide with the unveiling of the planned veterans’ memorial in Montgomery Park.
   "It’s something I want to do next year when the memorial is built," she said.
Staff writers Jennifer Potash, Gwen Runkle and Paul Sisolak contributed to this story.