A ceremony at Council Rock High School North organized by the Morell Smith Post 440 of the American Legion and the high school’s student council will kick off the Memorial Day observances this weekend.
The annual ceremony, which will be held Friday, May 27 at 1 p.m., will include a salute to fallen students who died in service to the nation, a speech by Major General R. Thomas Matthews of the United States Army, and a crowd of serving members of the armed forces, all of which are encouraged to come in uniform.
Events will continue on Monday in Newtown at 9 a.m. for the Newtown Memorial Day Parade.
The parade, which will travel through the streets of Newtown Borough, will be led by Grand Marshal Stan Matthews, a life-long Newtown resident, graduate of Newtown High School and a World War II Navy veteran. According to The Advance, Matthews served aboard the Benson-class destroyer, the USS Ordronaux (DD617), in the Pacific.
On Monday, May 30 the Newtown Memorial Day Parade will step off at 9 a.m. and travel through the streets of the historic borough, pausing four times to honor the the nation’s deceased veterans.
Leading this year’s parade will be Grand Marshal Stan Matthews, a lifelong resident of Newtown and a World War II veteran having served aboard the Benson-class destroyer, the USS Ordronaux (DD617), in the Pacific.
Matthews, a 65 year member of the Morell Smith Post 440, has served on the parade’s rifle squad for 30 years and has reportedly never missed a parade.
According to officials, this year’s parade will step off from the Commons West Building on Newtown- Yardley Road and then head south, making a left turn into the Newtown Cemetery where the parade will briefly pause at the grave site of Morrel Smith. The parade will then exit the cemetery onto Elm Street and countinue west on Washington Avenue to Lincoln and then south on Lincoln to Centre where it will pause a second time at the World War I Monument in front of the Newtown Library Company. The parade will then complete its last stretch by heading north on Congress Street to Jefferson, west on Jefferson to State Street and then south to the Newtown Borough Hall.
Newtown native and Chairman of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors Kyle Davis is expected to speak at Newtown Borough Hall. Davis, also a member of Posr 440, served in the Army Reserve while attending high school in the area.
Following the ceremonies the parade will then pick up again, continuing south on State Street, making a right onto Centre Avenue, crossing over Sycamore Street and onto Richboro Road before making a right onto Linden and concluding at the American Legion Home.
