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Darien VFW Pulls Out The Stops For Annual Push-n-pull Parade On July 4th

DARIEN, Conn. — To the delight of local children and families, Darien VFW Post 6933 is proudly hosting the 12th annual July 4th Push-n- Pull Parade in town. 

Come celebrate the Fourth of July in Darien at the annual YWCA Push-n-Pull Parade through downtown. These participants enjoyed the 2011 festivities.

Come celebrate the Fourth of July in Darien at the annual YWCA Push-n-Pull Parade through downtown. These participants enjoyed the 2011 festivities.

Photo Credit: Casey Donahue, file

In keeping with what has now become an annual tradition for Darien, the patriotic parade of children riding bikes, scooters, wagons and others non-motorized vehicles will step off from Goodwives Shopping Center with a start time of 10:30 a.m. sharp. 

Families are encouraged to arrive at Goodwives Shopping Center from 9:45 a.m., where Mary Ann Hall's Music for Children will entertain the waiting crowd before kick-off. 

The Post’s Color Guard will lead the parade with local and state elected officials. 

The parade, which last year drew nearly 3,000 residents, will also feature a special appearance by Darien resident Joe Warren as the beloved Uncle Sam as well as fire trucks from the Darien, Noroton and Noroton Heights Fire Departments. 

Like last year, there will be a contest in which participants will have a chance to win honors in multiple categories, including a “best decorated” category for a vehicle with wheels (e.g., a tricycle, bicycle, scooter or wagon), a “best decorated” category for a float, and a “most patriotic” dressed family category. All vehicles must be non-motorized. 

Winners of the contest will be announced at 10:20 a.m., and they will lead the parade as Honorary Grand Marshals with Uncle Sam and local dignitaries. 

The parade travels down the Post Road and ends in Tilley Pond Park, where there will be food vendors and live entertainment by the Ray and Jay Band. There will also be a number of children’s activities, including face painting and removable tattoos. 

This event is free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $20 per family payable at Tilley Pond Park to benefit the Post’s current restoration of the former Chapel of Fitch’s Home for Soldiers and their Orphans (the first veterans’ home in the U.S. that was established right here in Darien just after the Civil War). 

The Chapel is the Post’s headquarters at 205 Noroton Ave., and visitors are encouraged to stop by to visit and look around. 

Members of the VFW Post are veterans of all ages who have answered the call of duty to serve overseas in an armed conflict, including in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and other armed conflicts. 

Since the Post's founding in 1946, members have shared wartime experiences with Darien students, delivered holiday greetings to Darien’s elementary schools, sponsored a Little League team and a Cub Scout pack, and supported veterans of Darien, Stamford, Greenwich, New Canaan and Norwalk. 

The VFW is pleased to have the sponsorship support of the Rucci Law Group, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Darien Rowayton Bank, the Darien Youth Commission, Tiger Wealth Management, Dynamic Athletics, Mary Ann Hall’s Music for Children and the support of the Police Department of the Town of Darien, the Fire Departments of Darien, Noroton and Noroton Heights, and, of course, the Town of Darien. 

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