Memorial Day Parade To Draw Thousands to Northeast Queens

An estimated 80,000 spectators are expected to descend on Douglaston and Little Neck on May 30 for the nation’s largest annual Memorial Day parade.

Divisions for the march, which has been held in the neighborhood since 1927, will assemble in Great Neck at 1 p.m. along Jayson Avenue, Great Neck Road, Nassau Road and Glenwood Street.

The parade will begin at 2 p.m. at the corner of Jayson Avenue and Northern Boulevard.

“A lot of people have been coming to see the parade for years,” said James Rodgers, the march’s chairman. “Many of them attended it as children and now bring their grandkids.”

The parade will wind through Great Neck, Little Neck and Douglaston, culminating at St. Anastasia Church on Northern Boulevard.

An interfaith memorial service will be held at the church at 10 a.m. and a wreath laying ceremony will follow.

The 84th annual parade’s grand marshal will be Major Gen. William Waff, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve 99 RSC, Fort Dix. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall will act as honorary grand marshals.

Tony Vaccaro, a world renowned photographer from Douglaston who is best known for his shots of Europe following World War II, is this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Patriot Award.

On May 20, the Memorial Day Parade Organization will honor winners of its art and essay contest for kindergarten through ninth grade students at Fort Totten’s Ernie Pyle Center at 7 p.m.

The group will also host a dinner to honor Joe Oppedisano, who owns Little Neck’s Il Bacco restaurant, as Man of the Year as well as former state Assemblyman John Duane, who will receive a community service award.

The event, which will cost $60 per person, will take place at 6:30 p.m. on May 25 at Il Bacco, located at 253-24 Northern Blvd.

On May 29, the organization will host a grand marshal reception at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point at 1 p.m. Attendees will pay $85 for admission.

Rodgers said the parade is the largest annual event in northeast Queens.

“It’s arguably the largest parade in the U.S.,” Rodgers said. “We have anywhere from 70,000 to 80,000 spectators and 35,000-plus participants.”

For more information, visit the parade’s website.