Big Crowd Honors the Fallen at Orwigsburg Memorial Day Parade

About a thousand people or so turned out for the 2022 Memorial Day parade in Orwigsburg on Monday morning.

The crowd was drenched in abundant morning sunshine. They watched a parade march a circuitous route through the borough before ending back in the community square for a ceremony honoring the soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense on the United States.

While many packed into the square, standing close to a stage that would later serve as the venue for the ceremony, there were small packs of people dotting the parade route.

Led by a color guard, parade participants included bands from Blue Mountain High School, Pottsville’s Third Brigade Band, and the Hawk Mountain Highlanders.

Local sports organizations were followed by some firefighting apparatus, too.

Traditional Orwigsburg Parade Marks Memorial Day 2022

The Grand Marshal of the 2022 Memorial Day parade in Orwigsburg was Donald Kleckner, a 1959 graduate of Tamaqua High School, who now lives in Orwigsburg.

Kleckner is a well-known figure in Orwigsburg and can often be seen wearing his Marines hat and is described as “a proud veteran.” He enlisted with the US Marines after graduation in 1959 and served during the Vietnam conflict era, stationed in Hawai’i.

The parade also honored Gold Star Mother Suzy Jones, whose son Jason, an Orwigsburg native, was killed in action on June 2, 2014 in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Leaders of several local veterans groups were also honored during Monday morning’s ceremony.

Photos: Coal Region Canary

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