Cheshire Memorial Day Parade 2026: Here’s What To Know

CHESHIRE, CT — The 2026 Cheshire Memorial Day Parade is scheduled to take place at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 24.

With rain in the forecast, officials said the final determination on whether the parade will proceed or be canceled will be made by 12 noon on Saturday.

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Read details on the parade from the Cheshire Parade Committee below:

The parade route will be on Highland Avenue/Rte.10 from Highland School to Cheshire High School/Bartlem Park and the theme of this year’s parade will be “Cheshire Salutes the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America 1776 to 2026 – saluting all U.S. Veterans from the War of Independence to today who have died for our freedoms.”

Keeping with this theme, this year the Honorary Grand Marshals are the Lady Fenwick Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). This local DAR organization is dedicated to historic preservation, education, patriotism and community service. In 1912, the chapter published the well-known “History of Cheshire Connecticut, from 1694-1840”, an important resource on the town’s early history.

The 2026 Parade will feature U.S. veterans who served our country who will be on hand in honor of their fallen comrades. Along with the Parade Color Guard and various military group marchers, a motorcade, a 2.5-ton military transport truck and other military floats will also be escorting local veterans in the first division, according to Parade Co-Marshal Division 1 Commander Leslie Marinaro. Other local color guards, organizations, businesses, youth groups and bands are participating as well. The playing of Taps, a prayer from Parade and American Legion Post 92 Chaplain/U.S. Navy veteran Randy Tapp, and few words on the meaning of Memorial Day from Don Falk, Parade Co-Marshal, Vietnam veteran and Commander of VFW Post 10052, will be done at the Memorial Tear Drop area across from the Cheshire Congregational Church green in the center of town.

As each veteran car or veteran float passes, the Cheshire Parade Committee respectfully requests parade-goers to use this opportunity to acknowledge them as they are escorted down Route 10. Give a welcome to these veterans, take your cap off and show children and grandchildren how to honor veterans as they pass by. Marinaro will be assisted in Division 1 by State of CT American Legion Auxiliary Sergeant at Arms, Kate Salerno. Division 2 Commander is Cheshire Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jack Casner, Division 3 Commanders are Tom Marinaro and Andrew Martelli, and Division 4 will be led Paul Larouche who is serving as a Lieutenant Commander of U.S. Coast Guard.

The Parade will be part of another Memorial Day weekend event, “Flags Across Cheshire” which takes place the day before, on Saturday, May 23, at 1 p.m. This event is when American flags are placed on veteran gravestones at two cemeteries: Hillside Cemetery off Wallingford Road (starting in the new section) and St. Bridget’s of Sweden Cemetery off Higgins Road. Staff will have flags for grave placement at both these locations and are asking for volunteers to go to either cemetery and bring a screwdriver or tool to make a hole in ground for easy flag placement to help with this undertaking. It is an hour out of this holiday weekend to pay tribute to our fallen veterans.

The Cheshire Parade Committee would like to thank the Cheshire Veteran Advisory Commission, the Town of Cheshire, The Cheshire Park & Recreation and Public Works Departments, the Cheshire Police and Fire Departments, the Town Council and all the volunteers, veterans, businesses and organizations who participate and attend all the Memorial Day weekend events to help keep the “memorial” in Memorial Day. All members of the public are welcome and encouraged to take a moment out of their Memorial Day Weekend to honor our fallen veterans by attending these events.