Group saves annual veterans parade from COVID-19 cancellation

The parade will go on.

Since 2017, the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 133 had organized and planned the annual Maricopa Veterans Day Parade to honor the men and women who have served the nation.

But this year, the Auxiliary encountered obstacles while planning the November parade and members decided to forgo the march.

That’s when Scott Dillmn, Jason Martin, Joseph Harvey and others stepped in, creating their own parade committee to build off the Auxiliary’s efforts and ensure the march went off this year – with participation from veteran-owned businesses as well as veterans beyond the city limits.

Last year, some veterans were not permitted to promote their businesses in the parade, according to Harvey, an eight-year veteran of the Air Force, and member of the Maricopa Veterans group on Facebook created by Martin. That rustled some feathers in the community.

Several members of the Maricopa Veterans group asked the Auxiliary for a voice in the planning of this year’s parade and were offered an opportunity to convey their feelings about organizing a more inclusive event.

With the Auxiliary’s withdrawal, however, Dillman, Martin, Harvey and others were off and running to organize the fourth annual Veterans Day Parade down Bowlin and Porter roads, an event that has drawn hundreds of spectators. This year’s march is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7 with a 9 a.m. start.

Dillman is founder of Rent a Vet Services, a handyman business that hires veterans and offers carpentry, plumbing, electrical and general home maintenance services. That led to Rent A Vet WGY6, a state-approved nonprofit that assists veterans looking for employment and helps them get job training.

Martin created the Maricopa Veterans group in 2018 to provide veterans with a place to find and offer support to other veterans. After a local suicide a year later, the group began holding “SIX” meetings to give veterans an opportunity to connect with other veterans who may have a better understanding of what they experienced. More than 450 veterans share their camaraderie in the group, which has the motto “Family, Honor, Community: Sempur Simul” (Always Family).

Harvey said his group seeks to increase veteran participation with the goal of making the parade the biggest in the state outside of Phoenix and Tucson. Members of Blue Star mothers, American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars will participate. Outreach has been made to veterans from the Ak-Chin and Gila River Indian communities as well as veteran-owned businesses and veterans groups in Maricopa and beyond, Harvey said.

“We’ve created an inclusive approach to ensure veterans from all walks of life are represented in the parade,” he said.

Joe Abodeely, a Vietnam Vet who has run the Arizona Military Museum near the Papago Mountains for 40 years, will be grand marshal. Participating in the parade will be Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, Maricopa Mayor Christian Price, the Maricopa Police Department, Constable Glenn Morrison, Tracy P. MacPherson VFW Post 12043, American Legion Post 133, and the Boy Scouts.

Right now, he added, it does not appear anybody else in the region is hosting a “real parade” this year because of public health concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. (The annual Phoenix parade is moving online this year as a livestream on YouTube.)

The organizers’ application for a parade permit – recently approved by the city – includes a plan to keep both marchers and spectators safe, Harvey said.

A COVID committee worked through the details of holding a parade during a pandemic that adheres to – and enforces – CDC guidelines. The plan includes monitors walking the route before and during the march to ensure spectators are physical distancing. Markings will be painted at least six feet apart on the sidewalks to help spectators maintain a safe distance from others, and volunteers will walk the route throughout the parade to help ensure the safety of all. Congregating before and after the event will not be permitted.

“We knew the parade couldn’t go forward with the city unless we did that,” said Harvey, calling 2020 a “difficult year for everybody.”

The parade organizers cited the assistance of Maricopa City Councilmembers Julia Gusse, Henry Wade and Vincent Manfredi in securing a permit. City employees Niesha Whitman and Joshua Bowman are working with them as well, they said.

Harvey said the organizers want to highlight the active role of veterans in the Maricopa community. More than just prior military service members, they own and run businesses, lead community organizations, volunteer at food pantries and other nonprofits and serve on city council.

“We feel that it is important to take advantage of Veterans Day to honor those who have served,” wrote Harvey, Dillmn and Martin in a statement. “Many volunteer without ever asking for any kind of recognition and this is a day to celebrate them. As a veteran, honoring other veterans and continuing to serve in the community we live in becomes a way of life.

“We have many Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans living in our city. Whether they served in time of war or time of peace, they swore an oath to protect this country and those who live in it, and to ensure their freedom …. This sacrifice deserves to be honored.”

They cited an observation made by an unknown author: “A veteran – whether active duty, retired, or National Guard or Reserve – is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America, for an amount of up to and including THEIR LIFE.”

Gabby Potter, president of the Auxiliary, said the parade tradition is a “great opportunity to bring the community together and honor and celebrate our veterans.”

She said that while coronavirus concerns derailed her organization’s involvement this year, her group will be back next year to organize the fifth anniversary of the celebration.

“We didn’t feel comfortable having a traditional parade,” said Potter, noting that when the Auxiliary made its decision students were not yet back in schools and there were stricter guidelines around gatherings. “We wanted to be safe and take absolutely no chances.”

She noted many of the veterans are high risk for COVID-19 due to their age and medical conditions.

As far as this year’s parade, Potter said, “We’re happy that our veterans are being celebrated.”

The Auxiliary will recognize veterans and promote patriotism with a separate event, she said.

A Veterans Day Caravan is planned for Wednesday, Nov. 11. It will begin about 8:45 a.m. after a flag-raising ceremony hosted by the VFW and American Legion at the veterans center on Maricopa Casa Grande Highway. The caravan of vehicles will travel down Honeycutt Road and through the Province community, where they will be joined by veterans who live in the neighborhood, and then back to the Maricopa Unified School District parking lot, where all veterans will receive a small gift bag to honor their service, Potter said.

“We’re just doing it a bit different this year,” she said.

PARADE INFORMATION

• Parade will start at 9 a.m. from Legacy Traditional School, head west on Bowlin Road, then north on Porter, ending at Leading Edge Academy parking lot

Road closures

• North Porter Road and West Adams Way (8:30 a.m. hard close)

• North Porter Road and Alan Stephens Parkway (8:30 a.m. hard close)

• North Bowlin Road and west side of Smith Farms Circle across from Central Arizona College (7 a.m. hard close)

• Glennwilde Community Entrance: North Bowlin Road and North Emma Lane (8:30 a.m. hard close)

• Smith Farms Circle and West Tamara Lane (7 a.m. hard close)

• West Adams Way and North Falcon Lane (8:30 a.m. hard close)

Alternative roads

• White and Parker Road, for residents in the community near Legacy Traditional School and Central Arizona College
• Stonegate Road and Glennwilde Drive for residents in Glennwilde community

Parking areas

• Sequoia Pathway – Spectator parking
• Saddleback Elementary – East side parking lot for disabled guests
• Legacy Traditional School – Open to participants and the public
• Pacana South Parking Lot – For spectators and veterans

Areas to view the parade

Spectators can enjoy the parade from both sides of West Bowlin Road between Regent Drive and North Porter Road, and along both sides of Porter from Bowlin to the end of parade route. Lawn chairs can be set on the sidewalks but it is not permitted to stand or set chairs in the street.

End point

Veterans participating in the parade can turn into Leading Edge west-side parking lot. Other vehicles and floats will end in the north parking lot at Saddleback Elementary School on North Adams Lane.

Emergencies

In case of an emergency, please dial 911.

Lost and Found

Volunteers will help connect children separated from their families at the announcing area by Saddleback Elementary.