Posted: August 06, 2015 Labor Day Parade The City of Gaithersburg and the Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Fire Department celebrate the unofficial end of summer with the 77th Annual Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 7, 2015, at 1 p.m. The parade features an assortment of high school marching bands, dance groups, costumed characters, antique cars and fire engines, equestrian units, clowns, and more, winding through East Diamond and Russell Avenues in Olde Towne Gaithersburg. Julie Wright, Traffic Anchor for Good Morning Washington on ABC7, joins the parade as Mistress of Ceremonies. Free parking is available in the Olde Towne garage, located at the corner of Olde Towne and South Summit Avenues. Accessible parking for those with disability placards or plates is available behind the Victor Litz store on the north side of Diamond Avenue and behind the Shell station on South Summit Avenue. Free shuttle bus service will also be provided from the Lakeforest Shopping Center transit station to Gaithersburg Elementary School beginning at noon. The City is still looking for community groups and other organizations to march in the parade. This is a great way to be involved in the community and to get your group noticed, plus your unit might even win a special award. Note that participation in the Labor Day Parade by groups or organizations other than City of Gaithersburg officials, departments or committees does not constitute City of Gaithersburg endorsement. The Labor Day Parade Participant Application and Agreement Forms are available at in the Related Documents section. Gaithersburg’s Labor Day Parade is one the City’s oldest traditions. The Gaithersburg Fire Department established a rescue squad in 1938 and that year its volunteers hosted traditional fundraising events such as dinners and dances and a Labor Day Parade. Early parades included a band competition, carnival booths and a dance. Eventually the carnival and dance aspects ceased to be a profitable way for the department to raise money, but the volunteers did continue to sponsor the Labor Day parade until 1977, when a citizen’s committee undertook the task of organizing the end-of-summer festivity. The event is now coordinated by the City of Gaithersburg Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture, with continued support from the Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Fire Department. It has been held every year except 1942, during World War II. The 77th Annual Labor Day Parade will be held rain or shine. It is sponsored in part Fitzgerald’s Lakeforest Toyota, Kitchen Saver and Morton’s Towing & Recovery. A variety of sponsorship opportunities are still available for businesses to showcase their products and services while demonstrating community pride at the same time. For more information contact the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture.

http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/news/press-releases/2015/08/20150806-77th-annual-labor-day-parade-winds-through-olde-towne]]>