The stars and stripes will be moving from Third to 13th Avenue for this year’s Independence Day parade.
And, that’s not the only move. The event, which will be held several days earlier, on June 28, will kick off at noon instead of 10 a.m. to catch all the late sleepers in the crowd, according to Anthony Palazzolo, who organized the event this year for the Long Island Association of the Knights of Columbus, which sponsors it.
Palazzolo said that the changes were expected to swell participation in the event, as well as the number of onlookers who will join together to commemorate the country’s founding.
Marchers will assemble at 11:15 a.m. at 66th Street and 13th Avenue, said Palazzolo, stepping off at noon and heading 20 blocks to 86th Street and 13th Avenue, where a ceremony, led by parade Chair Camillo Casano, will be held in the parking lot of the Hughes Council Knights of Columbus hall.
This year, the honorees are Brian Long, the chair of the Committee on Scouting for the Diocese of Brooklyn and Frances Koren, a Girl Scout leader.
In addition, Bill Naddeo, a past grand knight of the Cardinal Stritch Council of the Knights of Columbus, will bee the grand marshal. Naddeo, said Palazzolo, “has been marching in the parade for over 30 years. We wanted to acknowledge his participation.”
Among the marchers will be several bands, including the Giglio Brass Band, better known for its performance during the processions that are at the heart of Williamsburg’s Mt. Carmel Italian Feast every July; a Knights of Columbus pipe and drum band; a Marine Cadet band, and a band from Gerritsen Beach, said Palazzolo.
Also marching will be a large contingent of Girl and Boy Scouts, as well as members of various councils of the Knights of Columbus, and members of various veterans’ organizations.
There’s palpable excitement about the impending event along 13th Avenue, said Palazzolo. “The merchants are 100 percent behind this,” he noted. “They are welcoming us with open arms.”
At 103, the parade is likely the oldest Independence Day Parade in the city. It has taken place in Bay Ridge for about the past decade. Previously, it had been held in Park Slope.