Hundreds line sidewalks for festive Veterans Day parade

The American flags were plentiful and puffed on Porter Road on Saturday morning.

Hundreds and hundreds of people lined the thoroughfare for the fourth annual Maricopa Veterans Day parade to honor the men and women who have served this country in the military.

GALLERY: The 2020 Veterans Day Parade in Maricopa

The parade also celebrated the memory of Tracy Davis, a member of the parade committee and co-founder of the Blue Star Mothers organization in Maricopa. Marching in her memory were Davis family members and 12 Blue Star Mothers.

The morning dawned bright and cool, the perfect day for the nearly-mile-long march on the east side of town.

Seconds after the emcee commented noted the low temperatures were a “blessing” after Friday’s heat, strong winds kicked up out of the south, fortunately blowing dust at the backs of Boy Scouts, cheerleaders and other organizations as they marched north on Porter. The emcee’s canopy, in fact, looked like it might blow away in the wind.

The parade kicked off about 9 a.m. at Legacy Traditional School, headed west on Bowlin Road and then north on Porter to Pacana Park.

Joe Abodeely, a Vietnam Vet who has run the Arizona Military Museum near the Papago Mountains for 40 years, served as grand marshal. He was joined by members of Tracy P. MacPherson VFW Post 12043 and Bernie G. Crouse American Legion Post 133, Mayor Christian Price, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and members of city council.

With a goal of making the annual event the biggest in the state outside of Phoenix and Tucson, parade organizers had said this year’s event would be more inclusive, welcoming participation by veteran-owned businesses and groups in Maricopa and beyond. On Saturday, representatives of the Ak-Chin and Gila River Indian communities participated as well as businesses such as Lifted High Garage Door Repair, Desert Sun Performing Arts dance school and A.C. Infantry, whose pick-up truck featured a stuffed lion.

Cory Ward of Maricopa watched the parade to honor the military service of his two sons. His oldest son and his wife are active Air Force, he said. His younger son, a former Marine, owns A.C. Infantry and drove his family in the parade.

“It’s a great turnout,” Ward said, noting the crowd seemed bigger than in recent years. “It’s a great parade.”

Other groups included the Maricopa High School Band, the Sequoia Pathway Cheer and Dance Team and Vista Grande High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC program.

Alyiah Rivera, a freshman Honors student and cheerleader at Sequoia Pathway Academy, marched with the cheer and dance team.

“It was pretty fun,” she said after reuniting with her family, who watched the parade from the east side of Porter. “I enjoyed saying hi to everyone.”

It was Alyiah’s fifth parade and fourth Veterans Day march. Her father, Freddy Rivera, is a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Marines Corps who served as a master gunnery sergeant.

“I love Maricopa’s family feel,” said Rebecca Rivera, Alyiah’s mom, shortly after the parade ended. She said the family has lived here for 10 years. “We need to honor our veterans.”

Nichol Deiulio watched the parade with her husband, Ellio. They came out to support the Maricopa High Schoo band.

“We were band parents for eight years,” she said, adding their two children, Jaren and Amanda, are band alumni. Amanda graduated in 2016 while her brother graduated in May.

People along the parade route looked to be physically-distancing, part of the organizers’ plan to keep marchers, volunteers and spectators safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Not many wore face masks. Monitors walked the route before and during the march to ensure spectators were spacing out. At its conclusion, the crowd dispersed quickly.

Since 2017, the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 133 had organized and planned the annual parade. But this year, the Auxiliary encountered obstacles and members decided to forgo the march.

Joseph Harvey, Jason Martin, Scott Dillmn and others stepped in, creating their own parade committee to build off the Auxiliary’s efforts and ensure the march went off this year.