Paul Bass Photo
Fire Chief John Alston, Jr.
A year and a half after coming to town, Fire Chief John Alston Jr. is already stepping into one of the black community’s honored roles: serving as grand marshal of the annual Freddy Fixer Parade.
Alston has been chosen to play that role when this year’s parade steps off from the corner of Bassett and Dixwell at noon on Sunday May 20 and fills Newhallville and Dixwell with dance, pageantry, and music.
Tom Joyner at the 2017 parade.
Also riding near the front will be a familiar voice and, for the parade, a familiar face: The “Fly Jock” Tom Joyner, whose nationally syndicated program airs on WYBC FM.
The parade, which has undergone a revival in recent years under the Elm City Freddy Fixer Parade Committee, will also feature a festival and drill team exhibition in the rear parking lots of Dixwell Plaza following the procession.
Click here for more information on how to be a vendor or performer in that post-parade fest, which is being run in conjunction with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
The weekend will feature a fashion show and a party at Vanity as well. Click here for more details about all the events.