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1812 cemetery salute begins with parade
Cheektowaga's parade season begins Sunday with the annual War of 1812 Cemetery parade, which begins at the intersection of Aero and Wehrle drives at noon and proceeds east on Aero to the cemetery.
A national historic site, the Garrison Cemetery is the resting place for 323 American, British and Canadian troops who died during the War of 1812.
Nearly 30 units are expected to march in the parade, including groups representing the armed forces, local schools, unions, athletic organizations, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, community organizations and fire departments.
Immediately following the parade, the annual cemetery rededication ceremony will take place.
A battle re-enactment will take place, with Kenmore's Boy Scout Super Troop 104 representing the American forces and Boy Scouts Canada 653rd and 52nd from Toronto portraying the British and Canadian forces.
A presentation of wreaths and memorials follows the re-enactment, and representatives form local organizations will be asked to place a flag at the memorial site.
A reception will follow the commemoration ceremony at the Pvt. Leonard Post Jr. VFW Post on Walden Avenue.
The town's annual Flag Day concert takes place Sunday evening in the Town Park Cultural Center.
John Landis will conduct the Cheektowaga Community Symphony Orchestra during a medley of patriotic music including A Salute to the Armed Forces plus other patriotic tunes such as John Philip Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever.
The concert concludes with the orchestra's annual performance of Tchiakovsky's 1812 Overture, accompanied by cannonade and fireworks.
Kicking off Sunday evening's activities is a performance by the Cheektowaga Central Jazz Ensemble at 6:45 p.m. Shawn Rydzik will conduct the ensemble.
Time Warner Cable will record the parade and cemetery commemoration as well as the concert. Dates and times of the broadcasts have not been announced.
Other parades in town this year include the annual Independence Day parade and the General Casimir Pulaski Parade, scheduled for July 22. Both routes begin at Thruway Plaza and proceed up Harlem Road to Town Park.
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