Maspeth residents, clad in patriotic reds, whites and blues, gathered on Grand Avenue on Sunday, May 26, for the much-anticipated Maspeth Memorial Day Parade, which featured an impressive array of participants this year.
The Maspeth Memorial Day Parade kicked off promptly on Sunday afternoon at Walter Garlinge Park, located near Maspeth High School on Grand Avenue. The event began with an opening ceremony and welcoming remarks from the organizers.
Members of the NYPD 104th Precinct and the 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol closed off over a mile of Grand Avenue to traffic, accommodating the extensive lineup of Memorial Day Parade participants that stretched across multiple neighborhood blocks.
To top off the parade’s festivities were Barbara Pryor and Leonard J. Williams as the honorary Grand Marshals of this year’s parade.
Pryor has deep family ties to the neighborhood. She is a member of the Maspeth Chamber of Commerce and Maspeth Kiwanis Club and a board member of Maspeth Town Hall. Her father, Stanley Joseph Pryor, was a World War II Veteran who opened his law practice in Maspeth in the 1950s—the same practice Barbara joined in 1982.
Williams, who has been married to his wife Carol for 41 years and is a father of two, enlisted in the military at the age of 17 in 1969. He volunteered for service in Vietnam in January 1970 and completed his final year of service in 1971. After retiring from a successful career as a transportation specialist, Williams became the President of Chapter #32 of the Vietnam Veterans of America in 2023.
The United Veterans and Fraternal Organizations of Maspeth and Maspeth Federal Savings sponsored the striking parade, which brought hundreds of local organizations together to honor military service members past and present.
At the end of the parade, which came to a close at the Maspeth Memorial Park, honorary guests shared a few words with those who stayed for the end of the parade.
Commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Admiral Daryl Caudle, attended this year’s parade and shared a few encouraging words on how Maspeth’s outpouring of support makes a difference in the lives of service members.
“I speak at a lot of events and everything, but my team has been hiding Maspeth from me. I didn’t know anything about this little town here in Queens, and man, what a true honor it’s been today to come into this town, to see the pride that you put into this town, the courage to make your theme, the red, white and blue, and to just feel so patriotic for the fantastic parade that I got to enjoy with my wife,”
Admiral Caudle assumed command of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command, U.S. Naval Forces Strategic Command, and U.S. Strategic Command Joint Force Maritime Component Commander in December 2021. He is also the recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, along with several military awards.
