|
On behalf of the
West Boylston Parade Committee, I would like to take this
opportunity to thank the committee members and all of the volunteers
and groups that helped make this past Bicentennial weekend possible.
Some have been involved for many years and others assisted days
before and on parade day.
Many thanks to all our sponsors – starting with our grand parade
sponsor, Menard’s Auto Body – to the division sponsors and all of
the other businesses. Without their help, none of this would have
been possible.
Thanks to: Savvas Fotiadis, owner of The Manor Restaurant, for the
use of his property for parking, seating and the food court;
The Banner for all of its help getting the word out and with the
parade program;
Please take the time to thank and patronize all of our sponsors
whenever possible.
Thanks to: the more than 30 volunteers who helped make the parade go
so smoothly, from the volunteers at the assembly area to the
disassembly area and everyone in between; to the school children
wearing costumes and to the many children who carried sponsorship
banners;
To all the people, groups and businesses that marched and/or put
floats in the parade: This is what truly made this a community
parade.
Thanks to all of the town departments and employees for their help
over the last few years through parade day: the Police Department;
the Fire Department, Department of Public Works; the Health
Department; the Council on Aging; the School Department; the wiring
inspector; the Municipal Light Department; and, the town
administrator’s office.
Thanks to: The announcers of the parade and to our local cable
access channel and their volunteers for taping the parade so we can
watch it for years to come; all the surrounding communities that
were in the parade; the town of Sterling for its help with the
bleachers; and to the towns that offered assistance to our police
and fire departments while they were busy at the weekend events.
Thanks to the many volunteers who helped make the other weekend
events possible, including the Arts Festival, the bonfire and the
grand finale of the weekend, the fireworks. Without all of them,
this would not have been such a fabulous weekend.
Thanks to all the onlookers who cheered on our parade participants.
You made it a great day for everyone. There was nothing more
rewarding for us then to see our friends and neighbors enjoying the
day.
Most of all, thanks to you, the residents of West Boylston, for all
you did over that last few years to help make last weekend’s
bicentennial events possible, from the penny fundraiser to the
purchasing of bicentennial merchandise.
On a personal note, I would like to thank my family – my wife Julie,
for being so understanding during the past few years, for her help
at the parade start and for making sure my sons Brian and William
were involved in the day; my son Matthew, for helping with the
coordination of the parade and for spending the time going to
parades over the last few years with me to get ready for ours.
I would also like to thank Bruce Peterson for all of his assistance
with the parade and the weekend. I think everyone would agree that,
when something needed to be done, he knew how to do it. And, when
Bruce said it was all set, it was. I could not have made it to
parade day without his help.
I tried very hard to list everybody, but I know there may be groups
or individuals that I have missed. If I have, to all that helped, my
sincere thanks.
I am looking for photos of the parade to add to the bicentennial Web
site. I am trying to get a photo of every entry in the parade. If
you have pictures of the parade, please contact me, Chris Rucho, at
chris@wb200.com, or (508)
835-1125, so I can make arrangements to get them.
I will add as many as I can to the Web and make a DVD of the parade.
Many photos are online now at www.wb200.com.
Christopher Rucho
Parade Chairman |
