Time Marches On At Malvern's Long-Running Memorial Day Parade

Malvern's streets were lined with waving and cheering families on Sunday afternoon as Malvern celebrated its 143rd annual Memorial Parade and the first annual Family Fun Day. Families participated in field events, face painting, music and food all day at Memorial Park, then settled down on Monument Avenue to enjoy the Parade mid-day, cheering on vets and special guests, such as Miss Pennsylvania 2010 Courtney Thomas.

Parade-goer Ken Mancini grew up in Malvern, but hasn't been back to the parade in at least 10 years, he said. He made the drive from Collegeville to come see the procession with his wife Marianne.

"I grew up a few blocks from here," Mancini said. "From when I was 6 to when I was 30, I came here every year."

Mancini said he came back to see how the parade has changed, and most importantly, to honor the veterans.

"I have an uncle who died in WWII: Henry Bixler, he was from Malvern. [My wife and I] haven't been here in a while, and I thought it would be nice to pay my respects," said Mancini, who is a veteran himself. 

The crowd cheered and waved as local veterans passed by, including members of POWs of Chester County, Submarine Vetarans of Philadelphia, Military Officers Association of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

The parade also included bands from the local high school and middle school, military reenactors, political dignitaries and local community groups.

The Malvern Parade is the oldest parade in the United States. It began one year after the creation of Memorial Day, and is possibly the oldest continuous Memorial Parade in the country, Upper Main Line Memorial Association committee member Rich Lee said.

"For many years, it was just a parade with a few speeches in the park afterwards," Lee said. "… Over the years, the parade has gotten bigger. We've included more and more activities, and we try to get more people involved."

One of the changes in the past 15 years has been the inclusion of community groups like Little League, and also an opportunity for kids in the community to participate by decorating and riding their bikes in the parade.

A big change this year was the creation of Family Fun Day. Both before and after the parade, community members could enjoy activities in Memorial Park, including field activities for kids and adults, bands, face-painting, a farmer's market and food from local restaurants.

"[Participation] was light, but we expected that," Lee said. "The first year with anything new, it takes several years for people to get idea of what's going on. We were pleased with turnout."

The Upper Main Line Memorial Association has a break until October, but then it's back to business, planning for next year's parade.