Photo: Denise Civiletti
“Rain doesn’t wash away our red, white and blue.”
The hand-written sign affixed to the back of a child’s stroller expressed the sentiments of the more than 70 people who gathered for impromptu Memorial Day ceremonies this morning at Veterans Memorial Park in Greenport.
The stroller carried a child of New York National Guard artilleryman and SFC Jack Martilotta, a Greenport Village trustee and deputy mayor. Martilotta, dressed in fatigues, marched with his family. Mayor George Hubbard and the rest of the village board — trustees Mary Bess Phillips, Julia Robins and Doug Roberts — marched too.
Faced with a Memorial Day forecast that included heavy rains, possible thunderstorms and flash flooding, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell canceled the town’s parade, which was to be held in the village this year. He made the announcement Saturday evening.
That didn’t seem right to Vin and Kristin Tirelli of Mattituck, who decided to launch an effort they dubbed “Memorial Day Parade, Anyway” through a Facebook event.
“It just didn’t seem right not to mark this day somehow,” Vin Tirelli said. “We have other parades in bad weather, like the George Washington’s birthday parade in February,” said Tirelli. “This isn’t the one to cancel.”
Kristin Tirelli was taken aback by the community response. “I invited friends on Facebook. I never expected it to turn into something like this,” she said.
At Veterans Memorial Park, the triangle formed by the intersection of First and Main Streets, where monuments stand in recognition of those who served in both World Wars and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, the mayor commended Tirelli.
“I think it’s really nice you put this together to honor the men and women who were killed serving our country,” Hubbard told Tirelli.
Hubbard told the residents gathered there it was all right to walk in the road, they didn’t have to stay on the sidewalks. Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said last night he would not be closing any roads for the march today because the closures had not been authorized.
Hubbard just returned from vacation last night and had not had a chance to confer with the supervisor or police chief, he said. “I’m not second-guessing anyone’s decision,” Hubbard said. “But it’s nice that we have an opportunity to do this and so many people willing to participate,” he said.
“It will be OK. We’ll stay to one side of the road,” Hubbard said. There was not a lot of traffic on Main Street at 10 a.m. A Southold Town police car followed behind the marchers for protection.
The march was led by American Legion commander Craig Richter, who carried a U.S. flag, and USMC veteran Steven Webb, who carried a POW-MIA flag. Marchers carried small American flags distributed in Veterans Memorial Park. Residents and visitors stopped on the sidewalk, while others emerged from storefronts, to watch the parade pass by. Some applauded.
At Mitchell Park, Hubbard thanked the crowd.
“I’m honored to be here with everyone to remember those who gave their lives so we can enjoy our freedom,” the mayor said.
Colin Van Tuyl played taps as Old Glory was lowered. After the short ceremony ended, the crowd dispersed and a few people walked to the dock to throw handfuls of flowers in the water of the harbor, fulfilling another Greenport Memorial Day tradition. The customary dockside service this morning had also been canceled due to the weather forecast.
The weather this morning was nothing like what had been forecast. A light drizzle fell intermittently as the marchers made their way from park to park — enough to inspire some to open their umbrellas.
But as the the ceremony concluded, the sky brightened and the sun momentarily peeked out between the clouds.
Van Tuyl squinted up at the brightened sky. “Well would you look at that,” he said.
Correction: Vin Tirelli was incorrectly identified as a military veteran in this article when it was first published.
