The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
By Bill Connell, Somerset.
I was at the Memorial Day parade this weekend and enjoyed it very much. The essence of the parade is to remember and acknowledge the effort and sacrifices of those who came before us. It is also a chance to celebrate the present and the future. There are a lot of people in Franklin who volunteer and support all sorts of causes. They range from the Food Bank, Animal Shelter, school projects , to emergency services and the list goes on and on. One fireman said, coming to the parade is a way to thank people for their support. It is a rare occasion that you get to see all these people in the same place. Monday at the parade I saw a lot of these people and realized how many great, hard working people I know.
I hesitate to say what I am about to say because the parade is already a decent size. If everyone takes my advice the parade would be five miles long.
Two of the larger groups I think should be in parade are Little League and Pop Warner. These two groups alone service almost 2,000 children. They earned a right to be in the parade. I see them at town council meetings and open space meetings which are tedious and boring. They should come celebrate as a group at the parade. Granted this requires someone from each group to organize a presence, which is a little work. If you contribute to the fabric of Franklin, you should come show off.
Those are honest observations but here is the real reason I am writing. There is a scene in Ghostbusters, where Bill Murray’s character says, “Well, there is something you don’t see every day,” when he sees the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man marching down the street. Last year I made a remote control float aircraft carrier 5 feet long on the chassis of a power-wheels . I intended to bring a new 8-foot aircraft carrier to this parade but ran out of time. It will be there next year. I challenge anyone to do something interesting for next year. My first carrier was done just for a goof, but I was encouraged by the response from people and kids. It made it fun.
Thank you to our veterans.
