Nick Perkins Photo
Elders watch the parade at Mary Wade.
”This neighborhood cheered us on during the pandemic,” Harold Spitzer was saying. “Now we get to cheer them on.”
Spitzer, the chair of the Board of Trustees at Mary Wade Home, was speaking Friday amid an annual Fair Haven tradition: The nursing home’s Memorial Day weekend parade.
Police motorcyclists lead the start of the parade.
A line of police officers, neighbors, and politicians gathered to drive by the home, as the senior assisted-living facility’s residents sat outside to watch. The parade is intended to honor the veterans who live at Mary Wade.
A veteran gets a ride in a vintage car.
Kara Hunter, the marketing and communications manager for Mary Wade, said she wanted to help create a “feel good moment” for the residents, who experienced a hard year through the Covid-19 pandemic. She said that though they could not have their normal parade due to Covid, car dealerships donated some antique cars for some of the veteran residents to be driven through in.
Frank Fernicola prepares to drive a veteran during the parade
Frank Fernicola, a driver for one of these cars, said that he the parade provided a good diversion from the pandemic for both the residents and the neighboring community.
Mary Wade CEO David Hunter said that since the residents aren’t able to go out much, he was excited to bring a parade to them.
Mayor Justin Elicker said that the event was also important because it celebrated the hard work of those who work at Mary Wade and have persevered through the pandemic along with the residents..
A truck thanking the veterans living at Mary Wade
The parade itself was full of car horns and police sirens, clowns and citizens, and veterans and vintage cars.
Mary Wade residents watch the parade
Everyone, from the Mary Wade residents to the construction workers across the street, smiled as car after car came by with American flags and signs thanking the veterans of Mary Wade.
“Dr. Mary” and “Dr. Wade”
After the cars made their way around the block the first time, they came back around again. A couple of Mary Wade employees dressed as clowns named “Dr. Mary” and “Dr. Wade” went around laying in front of cars and offering the drivers haircuts, causing many Mary Wade residents to laugh.
CEO David Hunter delivers his speech.
Once the parade had settled down, Hunter addressed the crowd. He thanked the police for helping them organize the parade, and the veterans for what they do for the country. He also gave a teary eyed thank you to the Mary Wade staff for the hard work they did during the past fourteen months.
Elicker followed up his address, emphasizing the importance of the service Mary Wade gives to the community. He also talked about the heroism of New Haven’s firefighters, saying that “heroism is all around us,” which received a large round of applause from the crowd.