Memorial Day Parades Come to Hastings, Dobbs Ferry

HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – Memorial Day weekend will be full of parades around the villages to honor those who serve the country and the Hastings parade will have nearly 100 U.S. Marines and cadets as part of its celebration.

“They’re our guests, but we’re thrilled they’re able to come up and help us in our ceremonies honoring those who served,” said Hastings Fire Chief James Sarfaty.  “That’s why we had them come up.”

Hastings recreation assistant Lisa O’Reilly said the number of Marines and cadets has increased from the original plan, up to 30 cadets and 60 sailors and Marines.

“I've been helping with the parade for four years now, just helping organize it and it’s growing into a great thing,” she said.

O’Reilly said Hastings lucked out as it emailed a request to the Defense Department, which obliged with members of the USS Eagle and the USS Wasp visiting town during Fleet Week.

“If you’re lucky enough they’ll come down,” she said. “That’s why we couldn’t advertise it; we just found out officially two weeks ago.”

“It’s just something that we wanted to do for a while,” Sarfaty said. “It certainly supplements [the parade] quite a bit, but again the whole point of it is to honor those who serve and those that died in past conflicts. That’s really what it’s all about.”

Dobbs Ferry will have its Memorial Day parade Monday morning and will start at 10 a.m. on Mohican Park Avenue.  There will be Taps at the Little White Cemetary and then the parade will head to the high school for services.  The parade will then head down Cedar and Main Street, Taps will be played in front of the Zion Episcopal Church and then there will be a service at Monument at Memorial Park.  Following the service there will be drinks and hot dogs at the American Legion Post 1048.       

Ardsley also will have its parade at 10 a.m. Monday. The parade will head down Ashford Avenue, starting at Park Avenue and ending at Pascone Park. 

“We so often take our freedoms for granted,” said Ardsley Mayor Peter Porcino in a message to residents. “On this da,y we would do well to contemplate those freedoms: how they were achieved and how they make our lives so precious.  Just stop and think about those freedoms, freedom of thought, of speech, of religion, of association, freedom to seek personal fulfillment.” 

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