Elmhurst Celebrates 98th Memorial Day Parade on May 30

ELMHURST, Ill., May 16, 2016 -- Led by Grand Marshal Richard Agemura, a combat decorated Korean War Field Artillery Battalion Radio Chief as a United States Army Sergeant, some 90 entries will march in Elmhurst’s 98th Annual Memorial Day Parade through downtown Elmhurst on Monday, May 30, stepping off at 9:30 a.m.

The 2016 Parade is presented by the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Elmhurst American Legion T.H.B. Post 187, Veterans of Foreign Wars Villa Park Post 2801 and the City of Elmhurst.

Members of the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst will again serve as Parade Marshals, assisted by Veterans of Elmhurst College, and also will march carrying their giant U.S. flag.

Ralph P. Pechanio, Chairman of the Elmhurst Veterans Memorial Commission and a long-time member of the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst, and John R. Quigley, President & CEO of the Elmhurst Chamber, are the Parade Co-Chairs, since 1997 and 2000, respectively.

“Our parade is a tribute to all those men and women who have so bravely put their lives on the line to defend individual freedoms here in this greatest of nations and around the world,” said Quigley.

“Our Grand Marshal endured the pain of World War II in an internment camp as a Japanese American teenager and then served his birth country with distinction during the Korean War as a young man more than 60 years ago.”

This year’s entries include eight color guards, retired military officers from the United States Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, members of American Legion Post 187 and VFW Post 2801, costumed Civil War re-enactors and military vehicles.

The lead color guard will feature members of the Elmhurst Police and Fire Departments.

The parade also will feature vehicles representing four fire departments (Elmhurst, Northlake, Oakbrook Terrace, Oak Brook), 13 scouting groups and nine musical and dance entries, along with elected leaders at the federal, state and municipal levels.

A total of nine cub scout packs, three boy scout troops and one combined troop of girl scouts will carry commemorative war banners.

Elmhurst Mayor Steve Morley and members of the Elmhurst City Council will head a contingent of elected leaders that includes U.S. Representative Mike Quigley.

Two of the musical entries hail from Elmhurst schools. The marching bands from York Community High School (Marching Dukes) and Elmhurst Middle Schools, both representing Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205, will perform.

Rounding out the parade’s musical and/or drill groups are the Antioch Brass Quintet, Carver Military Academy Drill Team and Drum Corps, Chicago Highlanders Pipes and Drums, Chicago Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Chorus of DuPage, Patton Academy (Farragut Career Academy) JROTC Drill and Drums Team, and Royal Airs Drum and Bugle Corps.

The parade will step off at 9:30 a.m. from York Road and Third Street, and concludes with a Military Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial in Wilder Park. Starting from Third Street, the parade will head south on York Street to Second Street, veer east along Robert Palmer Drive through the underpass and west back to York Street, south on York Street to Church Street, west on Church Street to Prospect Avenue and north on Prospect Avenue past the Veterans

Memorial.

Post-Parade Memorial

The Post-Parade Military Ceremony at the Elmhurst Veterans Memorial will feature inspirational speeches by Elmhurst Mayor Steve Morley and others, the laying of wreaths by military personnel and civilians, and a traditional Three-Round Volley.

Patriotic music will be performed by the Antioch Brass Quintet and bagpiper Brian Costello of the Shannon Rovers, and sung by the Men of Spirito! and soloist Anne Quigley.

The names of Elmhurst area veterans who passed away since Veterans Day 2015 will be read aloud in remembrance, from the lists provided by Ahlgrim Funeral Home, Gibbons Funeral Home and Pedersen-Ryberg Mortuary.

American Legion Post 187 has placed rows of white crosses adjacent to the Veterans Memorial with the names of deceased Elmhurst residents who served during World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, Persian Gulf War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

For the seventh year in row, an Always Remember sign commemorating the names of the deceased Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshals has been erected adjacent to the crosses. The sign was manufactured by Vital Signs USA, with a donation by Don Meyers.

The Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1993 through the efforts of former VFW Post 2048, American Legion Post 187 and Ralph Pechanio, 1992 President (now
Chairman) of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. Their fund-raising campaign generated more than $100,000 to build the memorial.

Applications to have a deceased veteran honored at the Veterans Memorial are available at Elmhurst City Hall, 209 North York Street, or by calling (630) 530-3010. Donations to the Veterans Memorial Fund are appreciated.

Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce

Established in 1918, the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community.

The Chamber’s mission is to promote an environment that creates success for local businesses and our community.

The Chamber also serves the needs of its members through services, programs and events that provide opportunities for networking and referral, business education, development and promotion, governmental representation and community involvement.