Village of Liverpool cancels Memorial Day Parade

VILLAGE OF LIVERPOOL, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A 100-year tradition is being sidelined in the Village of Liverpool after they decided to cancel this year’s Memorial Day parade.

In just a few weeks, the streets would typically be packed with hundreds of people ready to watch Liverpool’s Memorial Day parade. But that tradition has been put on hold.

“We tried our best and that tough call had to be made,” said Stacy Finney, Village of Liverpool mayor.

The village called it off this year after they were told they would be in charge of planning the event. Something they’ve never been part of, with the VFW and the Chamber of Commerce always being the main organizers, up until now.

“We attempted to find somebody to share it and the reality is on March 15, the person that we’d hope would be sharing it could not, and it was just one of those miscommunications. It’s an event that takes many months to organize,” said Finney.

But timing wasn’t the only issue, with not enough manpower being a major factor.

“There’s no longer volunteer police. So in the past, when the parade was put on, there wasn’t an additional cost. This year, it would be a minimum of $6,000,” said Finney.

Another big concern is safety.

“Last year, there were actually two cars that drove through the barricade into the parade route because we didn’t have adequate staffing. My main priority is safety of people and especially people who are coming in from out of town, young children, and it was a difficult call. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to do it in a safe manner,” said Finney.

The good news, the parade will return next year. Finney says the village began discussing and preparing for next year’s Memorial Day Parade.

The Liverpool American Legion will be holding a service in Johnson Park starting at 9:00 a.m. on Memorial Day this year. The village’s concert series will kick off at noon.