Batavia Loyalty Day parade celebrates veterans, country

Hundreds came out to Batavia's Loyalty Day Parade to thank military veterans, see their neighbors and pick up a lot of free candy Sunday afternoon.

The parade - a staple in the community for 41 years - is organized by the Batavia VFW, and this year's theme was "Batavia: Leading Loyalty to Our Nation."

Oscar Lundgren, who helped organize the parade's grandstand at the corner of Prairie and Wilson streets, said the parade, which featured several groups honoring the military including several color guards and a line of military-style Humvees, has always been a great opportunity to show the community's patriotism.

Alex Juneau watched the parade with his wife, Elissa Juneau, and their 2-year-old son, Sebastian, from the front yard of their home. A former Marine himself, Alex Juneau said he didn't know about the parade when they first moved into their home on East Wilson Street, but he's glad it exists to honor veterans and people's loyalty to their country.

"It's pretty exciting to see that this town is doing this for veterans," Alex Juneau said.

While Sebastian may not have grasped the reason for the parade, his mother said he loves watching it and picking up the candy.

"It's like we went trick-or-treating without walking anywhere," Elissa Juneau said as Sebastian made his next selection from the small pile of candy he'd collected.

Many came to the parade to see their friends and neighbors in one of the many groups that participated.

Jen Rio said her daughter walked with the Brownies, and they planned to meet up at the parade's end near the VFW headquarters where there would be food and refreshments for those who participated in the parade.

"It is like a big block party down there," Rio said.

The parade started off with the national anthem sung by Batavia High School senior Hannah Zepeda. She said she walked in the parade several times as a girl and was honored to sing for the community.

Laura Lanahan stood near the grandstand to support Zepeda and ended up being involved in the festivities. Lanahan was asked to hold a bugle horn to her mouth while the speaker inside of it played a recording of taps.

"It was really hard," Lanahan joked afterward.

Loyalty Day was made an official recurring U.S. Holiday by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1955. It is observed every May 1.