With May on the horizon, Hoboken city officials are gearing up for the city’s annual Memorial Day parade, but this year, there’s a twist: In celebration of the United States of America’s 250th birthday this year, the Memorial Day Parade is looking to be bigger and better than ever. Being dubbed the “Semiquincentennial Parade,” the event makes up for its being unpronounceable by aiming to be the best parade ever held in the city. Themed floats will flood Washington Street on May 30, with such headliners as the 63rd Army Band, New Jersey’s famous drum corps the Hawthorne Caballeros, and Hoboken’s own high school marching band, the Rockin’ Redwings. Other appearances include local salsa musician Charlie Lopez, jazz vocalist and winner of Hoboken’s 2016 Sinatra Idol award Zack Alexander, and ragtime band Fred Lehotay and the Ragtimers.
Hoboken looks to honor the nation’s history and the countless service members who have sacrificed their lives in its name. Hoboken has played a critical role in wartime; during the First World War, the Hoboken waterfront—once famous for being an entryway into America—was now the heart of shipping supplies to the Allies in Europe. Due to the power of nearby industrial giants and having one of the most efficient ports in the metropolitan area, Hoboken’s ports were officially seized by the U.S. government and made a part of the New York Port of Embarkation. When the United States decided to officially join the fight, the waterfront was then used to dispatch thousands of troops by sea to aid in the battle in Europe; it was one of the most utilized ports on the East Coast for the military. A common phrase amongst soldiers hoping to return home from the war is, “It’s heaven, hell, or Hoboken.” The WWI memorial statue by the waterfront remains as a physical reminder of all the men whose last sight of this country was our shores.
The stories of our veterans’ battles are to be celebrated in the parade, to let them be remembered for generations to come. And as Emily Jabbour said, “Hoboken looks forward to honoring both our nation’s history and the generations of service members who have defended it.”
