Mayor Says Unity, Not Cost, Was Driving Factor Behind Single Memorial Day Parade

The decision to hold one Memorial Day parade in Manchester and do away with the commemoration in Pine Lake Park had some residents upset, but Mayor Michael Fressola said the change was made in the spirit of unifying the town.

Commenter Ed Good on Manchester Patch on June 1 expressing his dissatisfaction with the single parade held at World War II Memorial Park, which was opened last year. 

"We have lived in Manchester's Pine Lake Park for 34 years, during which time we have watched and enjoyed the annual Memorial Day Parade to the Grand Army Memorial Park," he wrote. "As we went to attend this year’s event with our new grandchild, we were amazed to find there was no parade. We were told the reason was cost cutting! What a disgrace!"

Another commenter, Lisa Byrnes, wrote that, "I think it stinks that after nearly 40 years of having a parade in Pine Lake Park that they didn't do one this year at all!"

Rather than hold two commemorations — one each on the town's east and west side — Fressola said that his Veterans Advisory Committee wanted a single parade for the entire township.

"Their desire was to have one annual parade celebrating Memorial Day," the mayor said. "The decision was based on the fact that this is one town and we should have one celebration for Memorial Day. They said this is one town, not two towns, and when you're doing things on two sides of town, it's not one."

Fressola said that money was not the main concern driving the committee's decision, but that the decrease in spending did play a part.

"Yes, there was cost savings," he said. "Instead of hiring extra police and paying public works employees for six hours or whatever it was, the time was half because we only had one function."

The mayor said saving money "was an ancillary thing."

"That was not what the consideration was," Fressola said. His advisory committee was "not even thinking along those lines. That was not what drove the decision, no matter what anyone says or thinks."

The memorial in Whiting was the best location, the committee decided, as it "honors veterans of all wars and all services, and that was their decision, that they wanted it there the first time," Fressola said. "Their feeling was, because the park is new, we are going to have the service there."

"They also felt that the war memorial in Pine Lake Park was there to honor the veterans of World War I," he said.

There is a chance that the parade may return to Pine Lake Park as the committee will consider alternating the commemoration between the two sides of town each year. Fressola said that he has no preference where the event is held and he will defer to the recommendation of the committee.

"It doesn't make any difference to me. I'm going to support my Veterans Advisory Committee," he said. "That's why I have them. These are the veterans, these are the guys that count as far as I'm concerned. If there's enough interest and they feel we should have it on the other side of town next year, we will have it on this side of town. But they feel the park that honors veterans of all wars ... is our park in Whiting."