Veterans Parade Draws Crowd In Wickford

Bundled up with scarves, gloves, and fleece jackets, North Kingstown's locals headed out to the streets of Wickford Village Thursday morning for the annual North Kingstown Veterans Day Parade.

Parade participants gathered at at 9 a.m. before the parade kicked off at 10 a.m. Girls Scouts, Boy Scouts, current and former members of the armed forces, police and fire departments, bands, and elected officials took to the streets of Wickford to show their appreciation for our country's veterans.

The parade followed West Main Street through Brown Street and then on to Boston Neck Road before ending at North Kingstown High School for closing ceremonies. The parade also made stops at the Civil War Memorial across from the North Kingtown Town Hall and at the Veterans Memorial Park on Boston Neck Road for wreath laying ceremonies.

A wreath laying ceremony also occurred before the parade at Updike Park's World War Memorial, where locals remembered those who perished at sea during wartime.

The morning started off chilly with a mostly cloudy sky, but the clouds cleared to offer blue skies and slightly warmer temperatures, as the high for the day was in the mid-40s. Parade spectators found sanctuary in Bagelz of Wickford and Beach Rose Cafe for hot chocolate and other warm beverages, with lines practically running out the door in both stores.

Also in the parade was Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Representative James Langevin, State Senator James Sheehan, State Representative Laurence Ehrhardt, and Doreen Costa (who ousted State Representative Kenneth Carter in last week's election). Town council members Michael Bestwick, Carol Hueston, and newly elected Charles Brennan joined school committee members Kimberly Page, newly elected Joe Thompson, and Melvoid Benson (who rode in a police cruiser for the parade).

Below is a complete list of the groups and organizations in Thursday's parade:

• Rhode Island Military Vehicle Collectors Club
• Naval War College Color Guard
• "A" Battery 1st Battalion 103rd Field Artillery
• North Kingstown High School Band
• Local, General Assembly, and Congressional Dignitaries
• St. Francis Council Knights of Columbus
• North Kingstown Post 12 American Legion
• 888th Transportation Detachment
• North Kingstown Post 152 Veterans of Foreign Wars
• Kent County Detachment Marine Corps League
• 65 Chevy "Top Gun" Pickup
• North Kingstown Lions Club
• North Kingstown Community Chorus
• West Bay YMCA
• North Kingstown Police Department Color Guard
• Davisville Middle School Band
• North Kingstown Fire Department Color Guard & Apparatus
• Exeter #1 Volunteer Fire Department
• 1928 Mack Fire Truck
• Dogs of Wickford & Prudence Island; Pet Refuge; and
• Art In Motion
• United Service And Allied Workers Parade Team
• Quonset Auto Body
• VW Dune Buggy
• North Kingstown GOP
• South County Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol
• Wickford Middle School Band
• Naval Sea Cadets
• Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse
• Girls Scouts, Daisy, Brownie, and Junior
• Boy Scouts, Tiger Cubs, and Cub Scouts
• Seeds of Hope
• Little Rhode Model A Club
• West Greenwich Horsemen
• Southern New England Truck Pullers Association