The annual Memorial Day parade in Alexandria is back – and with a new route.
Last year’s event was only aired on TV because COVID-19 restrictions prevented large gatherings.
At its Monday night meeting, the Alexandria City Council issued a special event permit for the parade organizers – the Marine Corps League Detachment 1409 and the Alexandria VFW 936 .
Barring any new COVID-19 restrictions, the parade will take place Monday, May 31, from 10 to 11 a.m. Organizer Dave Anderson told the council that even though it's uncertain what will be happening with the pandemic in the next couple of months, they wanted to have a plan in place for the parade.
The route is changing. It will begin on Second Avenue and Broadway near the Big Ole statue and continue south on Broadway, ending at Ninth Avenue, just past the Veterans Memorial Park , where there will be a ceremony. In the past, the parade has gone north to Kinkead Cemetery..
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Anderson said the community has three big events to recognize veterans -- Memorial Day, Flag Day and Veterans Day.
About 25 units are expected to participate in the Memorial Day parade and a crowd of about 2,000 is expected to attend. Barricades and a detour will be set up and police officers will direct traffic.
Anderson said organizers are working with Alexandria Area High School to see if it can host the event if the weather is bad.
Because Broadway serves as a state highway, the event also received a parade permit from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
