May 26, 2022
Don Hersam, a U.S. Navy veteran and lifelong resident of New Canaan who served as town treasurer for nearly 50 years and as a member of the local fire department for more than 70 years, will serve as grand marshal of Monday’s Memorial Day parade.
Monday’s parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. at St. Luke’s Church on Oenoke Ridge Road and continue along Main Street before ending at the entrance to Lakeview Cemetery where the traditional ceremony will take place.
Memorial Day honors the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day when it honored those who had died in the American Civil War, Memorial Day now encompasses all American military personnel who perished in World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The ceremony at Lakeview Cemetery will be hosted by the Howard M. Bossa and Peter C. Langenus Post 653 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and be under the direction of VFW Commander Mike McGlinn.
New Canaan First Selectman Kevin Moynihan will give an introductory address and John Kowalski will be the guest speaker. The Rev. Scott Herr of the First Presbyterian Church will give the invocation and benediction.
Although no rain is forecast for Monday, a smaller ceremony would be conducted at New Canaan Town Hall on Monday at 10 a.m. if weather forces the parade and the ceremony at Lakeview Cemetery to be canceled.