MAYNARD – The Town of Maynard invites the community to celebrate the town’s 150th birthday at the Sesquicentennial Parade this weekend.
The parade starts on Sunday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m. from the Mill & Main parking lot on Sudbury Street. The event will follow the traditional 1.6-mile Christmas parade route, down Main Street, Summer Street and Nason Street, before returning to Main Street and Sudbury Street to end at the parking lot. The parade is expected to last about one and one-half hours.
More than 40 organizations will take part, including local businesses, community organizations, dancers, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Maynard school athletic teams, costumed characters, marching bands, Fife and Drum Corps, military veterans, Rep. Kate Hogan, Sen. Jamie Eldridge, Maynard Select Board, and Greater Boston Firefighters Pipes and Drums.
Two residents who have worked to preserve the town’s history will serve as Parade Marshals:
- Paul Boothroyd is the town historian, Maynard Historical Society’s archivist, and author of several Maynard history books.
- Roy Helander was president of the Maynard Historical Society for many years. The son of immigrants from Finland, he was instrumental in translating works documenting the lives of Finnish immigrants who arrived in Maynard. Helander’s father participated in the Town’s 100th anniversary parade in 1971.
The Sesquicentennial Parade is the result of four years of diligent work by the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee, which encouraged businesses and organizations to participate, and coordinated details with Town public safety departments.
The Town would like to thank the Department of Public Works for decorating the parade route, and thanks Maynard Community Gardeners, the Maynard Litter League and Green Maynard for their efforts in beautifying the community in advance of the parade.