Hamilton County and the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council will salute military members and honor first responders with a parade on Friday, at 10:30 a.m. in downtown Chattanooga. The procession will travel northward on Market Street from MLK Boulevard.
Typically held in May, the month of Armed Forces Day, Chattanooga’s Armed Forces Day was put on hold because of COVID-19. The parade is the longest running Armed Forces Day parade in the nation.
“Our committee members and area veterans are passionate about putting on this parade to honor military service members each year,” said the parade’s chair, retired Air Force Colonel Chris Dooley. “COVID slowed us down and forced us to get creative. But with careful planning, adherence to public health guidelines and cooperation with local officials, we’ve come up with a plan that will safely honor the men and women in uniform.”
While the parade recognizes all military members, it usually highlights one military service branch per year. This year, the parade will honor all branches, plus first responders.
“This year has been unusual in so many ways - tornadoes, protests and a pandemic,” Mr. Dooley said. “We decided to honor first responders, as well as our military, in recognition of the sacrifices so many people make on behalf of our nation and our community.”
Friday’s parade will be a rolling parade, which means entries will be limited to vehicles and trailers, to prevent large groups from walking or marching together. Participants and observers must practice social distancing and wear face coverings, as required by the Hamilton County Health Department.
“The rolling parade concept is something we do in years when the weather doesn’t cooperate and literally rains on our parade,” Mr. Dooley said. “The face masks and social distancing are new, but they’re small sacrifices when it comes to paying tribute to our armed forces and first responders.”
For more information or to register a vehicle, visit the parade’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/chattafparade/.