"Columbia is a very patriotic town," said Kevin Kraft, who is organizing the Columbia Memorial Day ceremony and parade with Bob Herman. "It has been a tradition to have a Memorial Day parade in Columbia since World War II. At one point, Columbia had the largest Memorial Day parade in the county."
This year's ceremony and parade will take place on Sunday, May 28. From noon to 1 p.m., the Bainbridge Band will perform a concert in the gazebo in Locust Street Park, 550 Locust St. At 1 p.m., the ceremony will begin at the gazebo. The keynote speaker will be Judge Leonard G. Brown III. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Brown served as a combat engineer officer in Alaska. After completing law school, he transferred to the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the Army Reserves, from which he retired after 28 years of service. He currently serves as a trial judge in the Second Judicial District of Pennsylvania's Court of Common Pleas, which encompasses Lancaster.
At 2:30 p.m., the parade will step off from 10th and Manor streets. It will feature four divisions and will include participation from a variety of service organizations based in Columbia. "We will have Red Rose VFW Post 2435, the American Legion, the AMVETS, the Catholic War Vets and the 11-11-11 Club," Kraft said. The parade typically includes bands, first responders and community groups such as Scout troops. Robert "Bob" Smith, chairman of the Hometown Heroes banner project, will be the grand marshal. The parade route will end at Sixth and Locust streets.
Kraft noted that the parade always draws a good crowd. "If you're patriotic, and you want to honor the people who served, come out for the ceremony and the parade," he remarked. "We encourage people to come out and mark a day that represents a time to memorialize all the wars and all those who fought and died for our country. That's what this day is all about."
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