Posted Tuesday, May 28, 2019 11:23 am

The Conimicut 50th Anniversary Moon Landing Parade is growing every day, reports organizer Lonnie Barham.

In a release issued this week, he said more and more organizations are planning to march in the parade or have floats, many with space-related themes. The Saturday, July 20 parade will celebrate one of mankind’s great achievements, man’s first landing on an extra-terrestrial body – the moon – on July 20, 1969. American astronaut Neil Armstrong’s words when he stepped onto the moon’s surface for the first time are cemented into our minds, “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The parade will be led by retired NASA astronaut Woody Spring, a Rhode Island native who will serve as Grand Marshal, followed by Miss Rhode Island, color guards, honor guards, the 88th Army Band, a colonial militia unit, a float with a model of the Apollo 11 command module constructed by students at Warwick Area Career Technical Center and the Marine Trades program at Toll Gate High, another with a model of the Saturn V rocket made by Boy Scouts from Conimicut Troop 1, several marching organizations, antique military vehicles, beautiful old cars from the Apollo era, political leaders, and much more. Barham and his committee welcome additional organizations and floats, however, notification to the parade committee must be made soon. The parade will stage at Clegg Field off Winter Avenue and will kick off at 11 am. It will march north through Conimicut Village along West Shore Road and will conclude at the American Legion, Post 43, where a post-parade celebration will take place. The celebration will consist of short speeches by the retired astronaut and political leaders, music, food and drinks provided by the Legion and by an assortment of food trucks, streaming videos of the 1969 moon landing and other NASA achievements, rocket races for the kids supervised by the Boy Scouts, and more. Extensive research on the Internet has revealed many celebrations occurring on July 20, 2019 that will celebrate mankind’s signature 1969 space exploration accomplishment, to include events at America’s key NASA locations in Houston, Huntsville, Cape Canaveral, etc. It appears, however, that the Conimicut parade is the nation’s only parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of man’s first landing on the moon. Most important, the parade and subsequent celebration will provide great family entertainment and will help educate youngsters about the history and importance of America’s space exploration programs, said Barham.