When Mount Joy holds its annual Memorial Day parade, the event will have extra-special meaning this year. It will mark not only the 250th birthday of America but also the 175th anniversary of the town's founding.

With a theme of "Celebrating 250 Years of Freedom," the parade will be held on Saturday, May 23, beginning at 2 p.m. It will travel along Main Street in Mount Joy from Angle Street to Barbara Street. Main Street will close to traffic at noon to prepare for the parade.

"The Mount Joy parade has become the largest and best-known Memorial Day parade in Lancaster County," said John Coleman, a member of the event committee. "With its origin in the late 1800s, it has a long tradition of providing a fitting remembrance to those men and women who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms which we enjoy. This year is even more special, with our country celebrating 250 years and our town celebrating 175 years."

The parade will be led by grand marshal Herb Ridyard. A World War II veteran, Ridyard is a former engineer and a longtime community volunteer. He earned engineering degrees from Lehigh University and the University of Virginia and continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Ridyard enlisted at 17, serving with the 94th Infantry Division under General Patton in Europe, where he earned the Bronze Star for Valor and Combat Infantry Badge. He later worked for NASA and General Electric on aeronautics and missile systems. Married 75 years to Nancy Lou, he is a father, grandfather and great-grandfather who remains active in church, veterans groups and community life in Elizabethtown, where he currently resides at Masonic Village. He has written two books, "Do Your Best," about his boyhood through his World War II experiences, and "Dreams Do Come True," about his life since the war.

Coleman emphasized that the success of the Mount Joy Memorial Day parade relies on support from the community.

"With this support, we have been able to recruit 12 bands to be in our parade, which is even more than last year," he stated. "These include the Donegal High School marching band and the Donegal Alumni Band, as well as many others from previous years. We were also able to recruit the Ferko String Band from Philadelphia, Keystone Regiment Drum and Bugle Corp of Hope Fire Company in Northern Cambria, and new for this year is the New Holland Band."

He noted that the Keystone Regiment will play for the crowd before the parade, traveling in the reverse direction of the parade route, and he encouraged people to come early to see the band in action.

The committee will also award prizes for the best floats in the parade. Joining Coleman on the committee are Denny Brandt, Chris Brandt, Josh Deering and Brenda Kready.

Along with thanking the community for their continued support of the parade, Coleman noted that the parade committee is also grateful for the support of parade sponsors.

"Our major sponsor for a fourth year in a row is Houseal Plumbing. Our major sponsor for music to help with the cost of the bands is Hershey Heating & Air Conditioning for a second year in a row," according to Coleman, who added that each of the 10 divisions in the parade has its own sponsor. The sponsors are Berkshire Hathaway-Denny Brandt, Hearing & Ear Care Center, Hershey Heating & Air Conditioning, SM Johns & Son Construction, Sheetz Funeral Home, Keystone Lawn Company, Berkshire Hathaway-Ferne Silberman & Rose Madar, Keystone Pest Control, Rotary Club of Mount Joy and Leaps & Bounds Heating and Cooling.

These sponsors are imperative for ensuring the parade continues each year, he said, adding, "The support from these and other local businesses is crucial as they are the only source of funding for the parade, which costs around $20,000 to put on."