Lakewood Ranch Veterans Day Crowd Without the Parade

After 17 years, the Tribute to Heroes Parade is done. Lakewood Ranch announced it in October, so there won’t be any floats or marching bands on Main Street this year.

Gene Sweeney and John Breiner started the parade in 2009 as a Memorial Day weekend event, and thousands lined Main Street in the early years. It moved to November last year. The block party started out thin, but the street was packed by the time the parade stepped off, with World War II veteran Bernard Greenberg as grand marshal. As last parades go, that’s a good one.

Why It Ended

According to Jay Heater’s column in the East County Observer, it wasn’t for lack of support. Schroeder-Manatee Ranch (SMR) gave money and staff. The Sheriff’s Office and East Manatee Fire Rescue showed up year after year. Local businesses helped feed the veterans before each parade.

What wore out was the organizing, along with years of disagreement over what the parade should be. Should a Memorial Day event be more somber? Should veterans and first responders share one event? High school bands had already turned in their uniforms by Memorial Day, and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard closed for about an hour.

Everybody loves a parade. Fewer people want to build the float. Have you ever helped build a float? It's an undertaking in the truest sense of the word.

Main Street Still Gets Its Tribute

The replacement is Music on Main: A Tribute to Heroes, on Friday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. It’s a regular first Friday with a color guard and a salute to veterans, plus more tributes between sets. Passerine is playing acoustic folk and bluegrass.

It’s free. Bring a chair and leave the cooler, because food vendors and beer trucks will be there. Dogs are welcome on a short leash, and anyone under 16 needs an adult with them.

On Saturday, SMR is hosting a luncheon for veterans in place of the old pre-parade meal. Donations will be announced for the Del Webb Lakewood Ranch Veterans and Military Supporters Group, VFW Braden River Post 12055 and the DD-214 Jeepers Veterans Assistance Group. Veterans can email [email protected] to attend.

If You Still Want a Parade

Palmetto and Parrish both have one on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and they start about the same time, so pick one.

Palmetto’s starts at the Manatee County Fairgrounds at 10:15 a.m. and ends at Sutton Park, with a memorial service at 11.

Parrish’s starts at 10 a.m. at the Ft. Hamer roundabout and loops back along Ft. Hamer Road. The ceremony follows around 11 at Parrish Community Park, and there will be food trucks.

Same Place, Different Traditions

Things change here quickly, from the roads to the traditions. If you’re buying or selling in Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, Parrish or Palmetto and want to know what’s really going on around a neighborhood, I’ll tell you the truth. Let’s Chat.