The threat of rain and a canceled parade didn’t stop Manhasset-Lakeville firefighters from honoring on Memorial Day those who have lost their lives in combat.
Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department Captain Lee Genser said the department still wanted to honor fallen soldiers despite the fact that Manhasset’s Memorial Day Parade had been canceled due to inclement weather.
“It was the least we could do to show our support for the troops,” Genser said. “Just because they canceled the parade doesn’t mean we had to stop doing what we do.”
The parade, which is organized each year by the Manhasset American Legion Post 304, was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Plandome Road.
Genser said the chief of the department, Mark Kiess, had called all of the department’s captains and lieutenants after the parade had been canceled to ask if they still wanted to march.
“Everyone said absolutely let’s do it,” he said.
The department’s firefighters continued its usual Memorial Day routine, Genser said, by delivering wreaths to both a memorial on Shelter Rock Road and Mary Jane Davies Park.
Afterward, he said, more than 100 members of the department and more than 12 of the department’s trucks and vehicles streamed down Plandome Road.
“A lot of the shop owners who were on Plandome Road stopped and were cheering us on,” Genser said. “A few residents came down and cheered on as well.”
He said the department understood why the parade was canceled given the weather, but still wanted to honor those who have died fighting for America’s freedom.
“It’s important because a lot of people think the day is just about barbecues and getting to spend time with our families,” Genser said.
He also said because the department had some members who were currently serving in the armed forces, it gave them even more incentive to march.
