Woodsboro's annual Memorial Day Parade fills Main Street

Hundreds lined Woodsboro's Main Street on Sunday afternoon to watch the town's Memorial Day Parade.

Some people were comfortable sitting on their porches and lawns away from the sun. Others set up chairs along the sidewalk, holding excited children.

An empty chair with a picture of Joy Jenkins, the mother of Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, was set up on the street. Joy Jenkins died in December 2023, Diane Lease, one of Joy Jenkins' daughters, said.

To remember her, the Jenkins family set up her chair where she always sat during the parade.

The parade has been happening for decades, Brenda Hedges said. She's been watching the parade for about the same length of time.

She wasn't remembering anyone specific on Sunday, but wanted to remember all fallen members of the military, she said.

Hedges served in the U.S. Air Force as a medic for six years, she said. As a veteran, she said, it's important to celebrate Memorial Day as a remembrance of those who gave their lives for their country.

"It's not just a picnic," she said.

She said Woodsboro is unusual in putting on such a parade for Memorial Day, making it that much more special.

Before the parade on Sunday, there was a wreath-laying ceremony at the town's War Memorial at the north end of Main Street. Three granite monuments honor those who served in World War II, the Vietnam War and the Korean War.

After the parade, Glen W. Eyler Woodsboro Post 282 of the American Legion hosted a memorial service in tandem with the Sons of The American Legion.

John Gibson lives along Main Street. There was a crowd of people in the shade of his front lawn laughing, talking and catching candy as it was thrown to them.

Gibson always has a set-up like that for the parade, he said.

"It's a sense of community and it's a sense of small town, Americana, a blessing to recognize we can all still come together and celebrate our community," he said.

Gibson said he was thinking of his first cousin, Francis McDowall Jr., on Sunday. McDowall was a chopper pilot who died during the Vietnam War, Gibson said.

Elizabeth Shannon, part of Gibson's gathering on his lawn, was experiencing the Woodsboro Memorial Day Parade for the first time. She had just moved to Woodsboro, she said, and became friends with the Gibsons through church.

"This is exciting," she said. "It's a small-town Memorial Day parade."

As trucks and tractors passed, she waved and smiled.

In addition to remembrance, the parade is all about community, Steve Heine, the president and CEO of Woodsboro Bank, said. Many local groups and organizations and the bank participate in these sorts of community events to come together, he said.

Nikki Pierre, a commissioner for Glade Valley Softball, agreed. She was accompanying kids with the Glade Valley Athletic Association who were part of the parade.

A lot of her family have military backgrounds, so she was remembering them today, she said.

She wanted to show the children that Memorial Day isn't just about barbecues.

"It's about people who gave their lives," she said.