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Pumping up the parade
By RICK GERSHMAN TOWN 'N COUNTRY -- Though it almost never got off the ground, the biggest Veterans Day parade in the state last year was in Town 'N Country. Organizers met Tuesday to ensure this year's parade gives 2001 a run for its money. At the least, beginning the Nov. 9 event at a new staging area -- Woodbridge Elementary, which replaces Morgan Woods Elementary -- will ensure a longer parade. The 2002 parade will run about 2 miles, up from 1.5. It will continue to run along Hanley Road, as in previous years. "We've got such a nice staging area back there, I don't know why we didn't use it before," said E. Rock Roque, a U.S. Air Force veteran who co-founded the current incarnation of the parade in 1994. A previous Veterans Day Parade through Town 'N Country lasted two years in the mid-1980s. The 1994 parade drew about 1,000 spectators. The 2001 version, which followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by two months, drew about 25,000, five times more than any previous turnout. More than 3,500 people marched. Organizers did note a refreshingly high level of patriotism. "We take certain things for granted," said organizer Raymond Frazier, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1970-74. "I found people were now willing to acknowledge what veterans do. Some paid the ultimate price. We all paid a price." While educating younger generations about veterans' sacrifices is part of the process, organizer Ed Sitton said, it's also a celebration. "We want the parade to be a fun time," said Sitton, a U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran. "And after the parade, we have a carnival north of Webb Middle School, so the family can enjoy themselves." This year's honorees are the parents of Marc Anderson, an Army Ranger killed in March in a battle with al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. Anderson, who was 30, taught school in Fort Myers. His parents, David and Judith Anderson, live in Jacksonville. The size of last year's event, Roque said, likely had far more to do with its circumstances than its timing after Sept. 11. Organizers found themselves short on both funds and people to plan and manage the parade. When word got out, local businesses and community leaders -- led by New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner -- stepped in. This year the Yankees have not allocated any money, Roque said, but they will continue to provide use of their facilities. One of the parade's chief promotional materials is a banner that hangs from the overpass walkway over N Dale Mabry Highway at Legends Field.
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From the Times Marlene Sokol |
