Parade floats and vehicles have been winding their way along Covington streets on Memorial Day for nearly 100 years. Here’s a 2017 image, courtesy of the River City News.
Morning of military recognition in Covington ends with parade
COVINGTON, Ky. - Eight hours of activity on Monday morning will honor the military dead as part of Covington’s annual Memorial Day services.
The day kicks off at 7 a.m. with a series of Honor Guard salutes at various military memorial sites in Covington and ends with a parade that will leave the Holmes High School campus at 2 p.m. and wind up in Linden Grove Cemetery.
“The 98th annual parade is the culmination of a whole morning of honor for the sacrifice of our soldiers and their families,” said Denny Madden, co-chair and treasurer of the United Veterans Memorial Day Committee.
The salutes at the sites will include a prayer, a 21-gun salute, the playing of “Taps,” and the placing of a wreath by the combined Honor Guard from the Latonia American Legion Post 203 and the Marshall Schildmeyer VFW Post 6095, Madden said. That will be in addition to any local community program.
The approximate schedule is:
- 7 a.m. - VFW Post 6095 at 347 E. 47th St.
- 7:45 a.m. - American Legion Post 203 on Winston Highway.
- 7:55 a.m. - Korean War Memorial at Ritte’s Corner.
- 8:15 a.m. - World War II Memorial at Holmes High School.
- 8:30 a.m. - Vietnam Memorial at Meinken Field.
- 8:45 a.m. - Mother of God Cemetery at 3125 Madison Ave.
- 9:05 a.m. - Floral Hills Memorial Gardens at 5336 Old Taylor Mill Road.
- 10 a.m. - Highland Cemetery at 2167 Dixie Highway.
The Memorial Day Parade is the 98th annual celebration of patriotism.
Floats, vehicles, and marchers will begin lining up at Holmes at 1 p.m., he said, and the parade will leave the campus at 2 p.m. It will proceed north on Madison Avenue, turn west onto 19th Street, north on Holman Avenue, and west on 13th Street to the new entrance of Linden Grove Cemetery.
The parade will include City officials, police and fire units, various military contingents and vehicles, a choir and band, ball teams, and fraternal organizations.
It will end with a ceremony at Linden Grove, with a keynote speaker being Covington’s representative in the state House, Buddy Wheatley.
“The parade is a lot of fun, though with a serious purpose,” said Covington Mayor Joe Meyer, who will be participating.
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