By Katy GAgnon
The Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade, believed to be the largest of its kind in the nation, is days away from unfolding. The parade's grand marshal, honorees and marching bands have already been chosen — all preparation for a parade Monday aimed at honoring the country's veterans.
“That's what the parade's about, paying homage to those veterans,” said James Rodgers, chairman of the Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade Organization.
The parade will kick off at 2 p.m. on Memorial Day from the corner of Jason Avenue and Northern Boulevard in Little Neck. From there, it will continue west for about one mile on Northern Boulevard and end in the parking lot of St. Anastasia's School at 244th Street. The procession will last about 2 1/2 hours.
More than 65,000 parade spectators are expected, Rodgers said. A number of public officials were on the list of attendees , including Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Maj. Gen. William Terpeluk, commanding officer of the 77th Regiment at Fort Totten, was chosen as grand marshal of this year's parade.
Queens entrepreneur Michael Ricatto was named the parade's Man of the Year. Ricatto is president of Ricatto Enterprise, which includes Allboro Engines and Advanced Fleet Maintenance. Dee Richard, a TimesLedger photographer and columnist, was selected as Woman of the Year.
Meanwhile, Community Board 11 Chairman Steve Newman was given the Douglas S. Mackay Community Service Award.
About 35,000 people will participate in the parade, Rodgers said. A high school marching band from Breese, Ill, will attend and perform the national anthem at the parade's flag raising ceremony at 11 a.m. outside St. Anastasia's.
For the first time in the parade's 81-year history, the “Fighting Irish” or “Fighting 69th” division, a unit of the New York Army National Guard, will march.
A group of about 50 area schoolchildren, honored in an art and essay contest sponsored by the parade organization, will march in the parade alongside U.S. soldiers, Rodgers said. Later, the children's artwork and essays will be distributed to soldiers overseas.
Other elected officials expected to attend include Borough President Helen Marshall; U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.); state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose); state Assembly members Ann Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside), Mark Weprin (D-Little Neck) and Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows); City Councilmen Tony Avella (D-Bayside), James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), John Liu (D-Flushing) and David Weprin (D-Hollis).
It costs the parade organization, a nonprofit group, roughly $85,000 to put on the parade each year. The majority of the money is raised through fund-raising efforts throughout the year, including the annual dinner-dance that took place earlier this month at Terrace on the Park in Flushing.
