"This is the oldest Memorial Day parade in Lancaster County," said Denny Brandt, describing the Mount Joy Memorial Day Parade. "I believe it's also the biggest parade in Lancaster County." The parade will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 28. It will run from Angle Street down Main Street to Barbara Street.

With a theme of "Freedom Today Because of Yesterday," the parade returns after not being held in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. This year's grand marshal will be Jerry Berrier. "We have a really nice variety of participants," Brandt noted. "We have bands, local businesses, organizations and more." Participants will include the Donegal High School marching band, Central York Middle School Colonial Fife & Drum Corps, Zembo Shrine, Rainbow's End Youth Services Center, Milanof-Schock Library, Marietta Fireworks and local Rotary and Lions clubs. New this year, the parade will feature Twin Rose Community Band, Big Boy Brass, the Strasburg Rail Road, the Red Caboose Motel and Restaurant with a trackless train and Cylo, the Barnstormers mascot. "We have businesses sponsoring banners for each of the parade's divisions," Brandt stated. Banner sponsors are Berkshire Hathaway - Denny Brandt, Glick Woodworks, Hearing & Ear Care Center, SM Johns & Son Construction and Whitmoyer Auto Group, which is the major sponsor of the parade.

The parade is a community tradition, Brandt explained, adding that people begin setting up chairs along Main Street the night before the event. "It's a day for families to spend time together," he said. "It's all about honoring our veterans and celebrating Memorial Day."

The parade has a long and colorful history, dating back to the 1880s. The first parade featured a band, Civil War soldiers and boys and girls from the local orphan school. Over the years, the parade expanded its route and its participants, including the first automobile division in 1920, when a prize was awarded for the best patriotically decorated car. No parade was held during World War II, but the American Legion held ceremonies at local cemeteries during those years. Today the parade attracts between 3,000 and 5,000 people and is supported by community members and organizations, including VFW Post 5752 and the American Legion Post 185.

For more information on the parade, search for "Mount Joy Memorial Day Parade" on Facebook. If the parade needs to be canceled due to inclement weather, a decision will be posted on the page by 10 a.m. on May 28.