The weather forecast for Monday is uncertain, but Memorial Day observances will go on rain or shine.
“Some years, when it has rained, the bands haven’t marched and the parade is somewhat more subdued,” said First Selectman Henry Tirrell, “but there is always the ceremony and the reading of names at the Memorial Green.”
The parade is slated to start at 9:00 a.m. and proceed down Maple Avenue to the village green where the honor guard fires a salute. The procession then continues down Route 44 to Memorial Green, opposite Immaculate Conception Church where there is a brief ceremony.
Following the observances, the fire department invites townspeople to come to the firehouse at 20 Shepard Road from about 9:45 to 11:00 a.m. Visitors can enjoy light refreshments while connecting with neighbors and members of the department.
The construction area for the new firehouse is fenced off for safety, but a glimpse of the worksite will be made available through the open bay doors of the current facility.
The holiday events do not end there, however. The fire department’s annual five-mile road race, which benefits it scholarship fund, will kick off at noon. This year’s race course has been modified because of construction on Mountain Road. The road race will now start and finish at the Village Green in the center of town and will follow an out-and-back route down Litchfield Road.
The first runners are expected to reach the village green at 12:30 p.m.