Hundreds turn out for Veterans Day parade downtown
By Turner Walston
Published in News on November 13, 2005 2:00 AM
Hundreds of patriotic residents gathered along Center Street Friday for the Wayne County Veterans Day Parade, sponsored by the Wayne County Veterans and Patriots' Coalition.
Boy and Girl Scout troops, marching bands, ROTC students and a number of princesses representing a variety of pageants participated in the parade, which is held annually in downtown Goldsboro to show residents' appreciation for and support of the nation's men and women in uniform.
Retired Brig. Gen. Ronnie Griffin served as the parade's grand marshal.
"It was a lot of fun," Griffin said afterward. "I'm extremely honored to be asked to be the grand marshal in my hometown."
Griffin retired in May as the deputy adjutant general for the North Carolina National Guard. He said he was impressed with the turnout at Friday's parade.
"Wayne County is extremely patriotic," he said. "You can just look here today. This is a great Veterans Day parade. The response has been tremendous, especially from the young people."
Janet Barnes directed the Goldsboro and Dillard Middle School bands, which marched together for the first time on Friday.
"They really enjoyed it," she said of her band members. "What better parade date could this have been?"
Nick Picciotti of La Grange ride in the Nam Knights, Harley-Davidson motorcycle club, with his wife, Lisa. The Nam Knights are comprised of veterans and law enforcement officers. The Picciottis joined nine other bikes in the parade.
"It was awesome," Picciotti said of the parade, his first. "Good participation."