Qi Xu Photo
Chatham Square Park was busier than usual Friday, as the Mary Wade Home celebrated its 150th anniversary along with children and seniors from throughout Fair Haven.
This was the eighth year that the Mary Wade Home, a longstanding senior care center in Fair Haven, has organized a community parade.
Clad in uniforms and waving at pedestrians, parade participants hailed from the military, city agencies and more than ten schools in the neighborhood.
According to Mary Wade marketing coordinator Kara Hunter, the center figured about 750 people took part in the annual festivities.
Volunteers helped bring the Mary Wade seniors outdoors. They sat on wheelchairs that lined up along the parade route, and watched with enthusiasm as kids marched to the beat of drums and saxophones.
Developer Joel Schiavone had his trusty banjo on the route.
Representatives from the army distributed American flags. Touched by the joyous mood, some seniors broke into an impromptu music show, singing and laughing. A green-shirted resident swung back and forth, wrapping up her singing with cheers of “wahoo!”
“Once a party girl, always a party girl,” remarked one observer.
Kids from All Nations Christian Academy, a private Christian elementary school in New Haven, waved flags of different countries and sang songs of faith.
The student band from Bishop Woods School arrived at the parade site well ahead of the scheduled starting time and started its warm-up with several rounds of rehearsal. Band members were engrossed in their flutes as they marched on.
The International Festival of Arts & Ideas, in advance of its 16-day showcase of performing arts and lectures in New Haven, took advantage of the occasion to publicize its upcoming shows. It employed a vehicle with a banner of the event hanging on it and recruited kids to distribute flyers.
Participants from EMERGE Connecticut also used a car in their march. They wore orange safety vests and gave out candy to the senior audience and other onlookers. EMERGE is a local program targeted at providing recently released ex-offenders in with training in construction and property development.
The clowns were the center of attention — at least for kids. They gave out multicolored beads bracelet to the audience.
Hunter described the parade as a celebration of the art scene in Fair Haven, and a group effort to keep the community tight.
“We are 150 years old,” Hunter said. “We grow with the community.”