Auburn celebrates Memorial Day with two parades - one patriotic, and one with several thousand orange bills and yellow feathers.
Photo illustration by Jason Rearick
AMERICAN FUN
The city's traditional Memorial Day Parade will get started Monday morning with a procession of armed forces veterans and other community groups down Genesee Street. They will leave from St. Alphonsus Church between Lewis and Morris Streets at 11 a.m., then wrap up at Pomeroy Park.
The parade will consist of Veterans of Foreign Wars posts from around Cayuga County, with music supplied by Auburn High School and middle school marching bands. Also in step will be the Syracuse Kilties, a bagpipe band.
Despite previous years' cancellations due to weather conditions, the Auburn Department of Public Works will hold the parade rain or shine.
“It was ridiculous. Everyone would show up and get ready to go then we'd stop,” said Jerry Delfavero, superintendent of the Department of Public Works. “The only way we cancel is if there's lightning.”
With a tradition in Auburn extending beyond Delfavero's 32 years with the Department of Public Works, the parade should attract several thousand to Genesee Street.
“The streets are lined from the start of the parade all the way to the end,” he said.
Once the last snare drum beat has echoed from Genesee Street, parade-goers can shuffle down to the North Street bridge overlooking the Owasco Outlet for the 19th annual Kiwanis Duck Derby.
As many as 6,000 rubber ducks are expected to compete with each other - and obstacles in the stream - in a race for a prize to be claimed by their owners.
“With the rocks and branches, the ducks can get hung up” said Ken Knight, Duck Derby chairperson. “It's all chance, that's why it's fun.”
The owners of the first 10 ducks to finish by floating into a chute at the end of the outlet will receive prizes.
First prize is a four-person vacation package to Disney World for four nights and a $100 cash prize awaits the 10th place finisher. Several vacation packages and tickets will be awarded to those who place in between.
All 6,000 ducks will enter the race through a door in the bottom of a large dumpster-like container.
“They're all mixed up so they have the same chance of winning,” Knight said. “There's a lot of excitement, you hear lots of cheers.” Food vendors and live music will occupy spectators as the winning ducks are taken to the nearby Auburn police station and their owners are found in the race organizers' records.
With so many rubber ducks competing for prizes and no one more likely to claim one than another, the Duck Derby complements the American spirit of the Memorial Day parade by being the most democratic of contests.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.Wilcox@lee.net
If you go
What: Memorial Day Parade and Kiwanis Duck Derby
When: 11 a.m. Monday
Where: Genesee Street
For details: Call 255-4120
The parade will consist of Veterans of Foreign Wars posts from around Cayuga County, with music supplied by Auburn High School and middle school marching bands. Also in step will be the Syracuse Kilties, a bagpipe band.
Despite previous years' cancellations due to weather conditions, the Auburn Department of Public Works will hold the parade rain or shine.
“It was ridiculous. Everyone would show up and get ready to go then we'd stop,” said Jerry Delfavero, superintendent of the Department of Public Works. “The only way we cancel is if there's lightning.”
With a tradition in Auburn extending beyond Delfavero's 32 years with the Department of Public Works, the parade should attract several thousand to Genesee Street.
“The streets are lined from the start of the parade all the way to the end,” he said.
Once the last snare drum beat has echoed from Genesee Street, parade-goers can shuffle down to the North Street bridge overlooking the Owasco Outlet for the 19th annual Kiwanis Duck Derby.
As many as 6,000 rubber ducks are expected to compete with each other - and obstacles in the stream - in a race for a prize to be claimed by their owners.
“With the rocks and branches, the ducks can get hung up” said Ken Knight, Duck Derby chairperson. “It's all chance, that's why it's fun.”
The owners of the first 10 ducks to finish by floating into a chute at the end of the outlet will receive prizes.
First prize is a four-person vacation package to Disney World for four nights and a $100 cash prize awaits the 10th place finisher. Several vacation packages and tickets will be awarded to those who place in between.
All 6,000 ducks will enter the race through a door in the bottom of a large dumpster-like container.
“They're all mixed up so they have the same chance of winning,” Knight said. “There's a lot of excitement, you hear lots of cheers.” Food vendors and live music will occupy spectators as the winning ducks are taken to the nearby Auburn police station and their owners are found in the race organizers' records.
With so many rubber ducks competing for prizes and no one more likely to claim one than another, the Duck Derby complements the American spirit of the Memorial Day parade by being the most democratic of contests.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.Wilcox@lee.net
If you go
What: Memorial Day Parade and Kiwanis Duck Derby
When: 11 a.m. Monday
Where: Genesee Street
For details: Call 255-4120
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