Essex Memorial Day Parade (1970s)

Essex Memorial Day Parade 1971: 4-H Float (Credit: Harry and Judy Koenig)

Essex Memorial Day Parade 1971: Horse-drawn one-person vehicle (Credit: Harry and Judy Koenig)

Essex Memorial Day Parade 1971: Vintage Car (Credit: Harry and Judy Koenig)

Essex Memorial Day Parade 1971: Boy Scout Float (Credit: Harry and Judy Koenig)

Essex Memorial Day Parade 1971: Marching With Flags (Credit: Harry and Judy Koenig)

Essex Memorial Day Parade 1972: Ship Float (Credit: Harry and Judy Koenig)

Essex Memorial Day Parade 1972: Canon & WCS Marching Band (Credit: Harry and Judy Koenig)

Essex Memorial Day Parade 1972: Grand Marshal Car (Credit: Harry and Judy Koenig)

(Click a photo to enlarge, read the captions, and start a slideshow.)

In honor of Memorial Day we’re delighted to share a group of old photos taken during the 1971 & 1972 Memorial Day parades in Essex, NY. The pictures were taken by Harry and Judy Koenig. They were shared with us recently by Don Koenig. Thank you again!

It’s delightful to see some of the elaborate floats and costumes in these 70s parades. Do you have a favorite?

Do you recognize anyone in the parade or watching along the roadside? Maybe you even see yourself in one of the photos?

Can you identify the organizations/groups who are marching or have a float or vehicle in the parade? I tried my best as you can see in the captions, but couldn’t recognize them all. Please leave a comment if you can!

I also noted Essex homes & businesses in the background of several photos and some of the buildings have been renamed — can you spot them?

As always we welcome your thoughts and we hope you will consider sharing them with us. We also would love to share your old Essex photos or artifacts! Contact us below or at editor[at]www.essexonlakechamplain.com.

UPDATE: We’ve had several people comment both on the blog and on Facebook mentioning that they don’t remember a Memorial Day parade ever occurring in Essex. Several people have said that the Memorial Day parades are only in Willsboro, while the 4th of July parades are in Essex. Although I know that sometimes the towns can trade off, as this year (2015) the 4th of July parade will be taking place in Willsboro…

These photos were shared with us as being taken during Memorial Day parades, but perhaps these photos are really from a 4th of July celebration instead? What do you think? Do you recall the Memorial Day parade ever taking place in Essex?

Still great nostalgic photos whatever event they were celebrating though!

Vintage Photo: Main Street (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Vintage Essex Photo: Marching Band (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Vintage Postcard: Camel’s Hump (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Vintage Photo: Residence of H.H. Noble (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Vintage Photo: Essex Main Street Looking South (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

About Katie Shepard

Passionate about reading and writing stories, Katie Shepard enjoys discovering more about her home while writing and editing for Essex on Lake Champlain. Katie graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2011 where she studied English literature, philosophy, and Asian studies. Her first book Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide was published in 2015.

Comments

Patricia Gardnere says

May 27, 2015 at 8:44 am

This was a 4th of July Parade. Essex has never in my memory (and I was in the marching band in this photo) had a Memorial Day parade. The WCS band marched at the Willsboro parade, loaded onto buses and then marched in the Crown Point parade.