Antonio Civitella
I love a first responders parade By Antonio Civitella on December 16, 2020 at 5:20 PM
Last night I had a front row seat for Schenectady’s First Responders Holiday Parade.
Transfinder, the school bus routing company that I lead, mapped out the routes and provided a way for the community to track when the parade would be passing through their neighborhood. I drove along and watched how residents, even in the cold, greeted all these first responders.
It made me proud to be a member of this great community. I am so glad that our community honors these men and women who really do put their lives on the line and their health at risk to serve us.
When Schenectady s annual Holiday Parade was canceled before Thanksgiving, the city decided to hold a parade to honor first responders and it will be held this week. Here are the details. According to News 10 ABC, Santa Claus and first responder vehicles will be part of the First Responders Holiday Parade in Schenectady. There will be a host of decked out first responder vehicles along a route mapped out through the city with holiday music and the big guy himself. It will all happen on Tuesday, December 15th.
Assistant Fire Cheif Don Mareno said this of the decision to have a holiday parade:
Capital Region communities adjust Christmas celebrations amid COVID-19 | The Daily Gazette
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Schenectady mayor Gary McCarthy announced the first-ever First Responders Holiday Parade 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The event will replace this year’s canceled Schenectady annual holiday parade traditionally held before Thanksgiving.
“We had this idea when news came that the Schenectady Holiday Parade was canceled because of the pandemic,” said Assistant Fire Chief Don Mareno in a press release. “That parade is typically held in late November and believed to be the largest nighttime holiday parade in the Northeast.
“It would have been the 52nd year of the parade. With all the stresses of everything happening because of COVID, we thought it would be nice to bring the parade to the community.”