St. Charles cancels its Memorial Day parade

This year's Memorial Day parade in St. Charles has been canceled, city officials said Monday.

Mayor Don DeWitte said the city was recently notified by the parade host, American Legion Post 342, that the event was nixed due to "lack of participation." An American Legion representative could not immediately be reached for comment Monday night.

"It's unfortunate," DeWitte said. "The parade has always been a community tradition as far back as to when I was a kid. As the number of World War II veterans diminishes, they have less and less people to march."

City officials noted that the parade, originally scheduled for May 26 through downtown, would have followed an already busy weekend, which might have attributed to dwindling participation. St. Charles East and North high schools both have graduation ceremonies Memorial Day weekend and construction for the First Street redevelopment project would have forced the parade to be re-routed around the intersection of Illinois and First streets.

DeWitte said he hopes the city can find a way to help bring back the parade in 2009, the city's 175th anniversary.

"We'll try to put something together for next year," he said.

As for this Memorial Day, several events involving the American Legion and local VFW hall remain on the calendar.

They include a flag-raising ceremony and 21-gun salute at Baker Community Center the morning of May 26, followed by similar ceremonies at local cemeteries and the police station.