New Parade planned to honor our veterans following cancellation of 2018 Memorial Week Parade. Somerville’s is one of only two parades

The 2018 Veterans Memorial Parade is just two weeks away! Earlier this fall, Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Director of Veterans Services Bryan Bishop announced a brand new ceremony to honor our City’s and our nation’s Veterans. On Sunday, November 4, 2018, the Veterans Memorial Parade will step off at noon from the City Hall Concourse, and continue through Davis Square to Teele Square. Somerville’s will be one of only two parades in the region in honor of Veterans Month in November (the second is the Veterans Day Parade currently planned in Boston for November 11).

The November 4 parade will have 87 units, including Somerville officials, community groups and organizations, the Somerville Police and Fire Departments, local, regional, and national veterans’ organizations and members from each of the armed service branches, and much more. The parade route continues along Highland Ave. through Davis Sq., ending at the intersection of Holland St. and Broadway in Teele Square. A viewing stand will be set up in the heart of Davis Square.

2018 Grand Marshal

The 2018 Somerville Veterans’ Memorial Parade Grand Marshall is Sean Horgan. Marine Corps Veteran Sean Horgan is proud to call Somerville home and lives with his family in the Davis Square area. Sean is involved in an organization called Team Rubicon that unites the skills and experiences of military Veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams to areas in need of disaster relief. He is also an active member of the Greater Boston Veteran’s Collaborative which brings together Veteran service provider to streamline outreach processes and create a positive working relationship with those providers to ensure all Veterans receive the benefits and services they deserve.   Sean recently deployed with Veterans from Massachusetts to aid victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. In November 2017, he was named the Somerville Veteran of the year for his many acts of selfless devotion to his fellow Veterans and their families.

The Aleppo Shriners return for the celebration.

The Aleppo Shriners return as a parade highlight to help honor the service and sacrifice of so many who have served our country. This display of more than 20 units, a parade favorite throughout the region, entertains crowds of thousands throughout New England each year as they bring awareness to its great philanthropy, the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

For more information or if you have questions about Veterans services or events, contact Bryan Bishop at 617-625-6600 ext. 4710 or bbishop@somervillema.gov.

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at 617-625-6600 x2323 or NSalamoun@somervillema.gov .

-City of Somerville