South Bend West Side Memorial Day Parade Preview
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- This year marks the 100th year of the West Side Memorial Day Parade.
The parade begins at 8:15 a.m. on Memorial Day and serves as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice that so many veterans have made.
The parade participants will start lining up at Summit Dr., about a block away from Ford St. and Lombardy Dr., where you will find rows of people lined up waiting for the parade to begin.
According to Sheila Niezgodski, Vice President of the South Bend Common Council and 6th District Council Member, there are over 75 entrants participating in the parade this year, as well as a planned plane fly-over.
Following the parade, at St. Joe Cemetery, there will be a mass at 9:15 a.m. for all of the veterans who have lost their lives. After the mass, they will read the names of all veterans lost in St. Joe County in the past year.
Sheila wants to remind people that Memorial Day can be a difficult day, especially for those who have lost friends or family members. And remembering the veterans should be at the forefront:
"It is the 100th year that they're stepping off for the parade, and ...that's such an important thing for a couple reasons. Memorial Day, we have to remember, is really a somber day, especially for many veterans. Myself, I'm a veteran, I'm an army veteran. And if you talk to a lot of your veterans, it's a day of remembrance. It's a way to remember their sacrifice. These are men and women that died while serving in the armed forces...
But I think this 100th step-off of this parade proves that for 100 times we have remembered the men and women that have lost their life while in service to our country. It's really a way that it shows that we have not forgotten the men and women that sacrificed their life while in service to their country. It's a very important day that should never be forgotten. You know, service to your country is one of the greatest things that you could ever do."