“We’ve always been there; it’s always been a part of us,” She said.
The Pike Twp. Fire Department had planned the parade for decades but this year it didn’t have the membership, Chief Jerry Donnelly said.
It’s a lot more work than people expect, he had told the Springfield News-Sun, and usually takes about one to two months of planning.
The department asked other local organizations if they would help to organize the parade, he said, but when no one responded, they had to cancel.
RELATED: North Hampton cancels Memorial Day parade after more than 30 years
“I know that we’re all busy, but if we can all pull together then we can make it happen,” Briggs said.
Briggs lives in Greene County, but picked up the phone to call her family members in North Hampton, she said, and asked them to help her plan the event.
“We recently lost our great grandfather, and for us to have that loss so recent and then to have the parade cancelled …” She said. “It was always his favorite event, and we were all very close to him.”
She couldn’t let the tradition go.
“It is going to be a huge undertaking, but I have a lot of support,” she said.
Several people have already volunteered to walk in the event, including the local police and fire department and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
“Everybody is contacting us now,” she said, “They all want to be in it.”
Chief Donnelly said he’s happy to hear the parade won’t be cancelled after all.
The parade will begin at 3 p.m. in North Hampton on Saturday, May 27. Anyone who would like to participate can contact Rebecca Briggs at 937-631-0355.
The Pike Twp. Fire Department will also hold their annual ice cream social that day.
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