Is your son or daughter starting their scholastic journey in kindergarten this fall? Why not begin that journey with a joyful stroll down Main Street as part of Lansdale’s 150th Anniversary parade?
The North Penn area has more than 1,000 children entering kindergarten this year, and all are invited to start that adventure by marching down Main on Aug. 20, with their new classmates, as part of the Founders 150 Parade that kicks off the biggest week of the year-long celebration.
According to Kindergarten Marchers organizer Andy Havington, 155 youngsters are registered thus far, and he expects to exceed 200 shortly. "We invite all incoming kindergartners in the North Penn area to join together to celebrate this fun historical event. I believe this will be the first time that kindergartners as a group will march in a Lansdale parade.”
The Kindergarten Marchers are supported by the North Penn community, says Havington, including Bill Henning of Discover Lansdale, NPSD Director of Elementary Education Dr. Michael McKenna, North Penn Television’s Bob Gillmer, and Lansdale Mayor Garry Herbert.
Said Herbert in his
May 3 Mayoral Musings Column on North Penn Now: "As Lansdale continues to grow and develop, the connection with our education partners continues to be a critical part of our mutual success. … To help celebrate this strong connection between our borough and our school district, borough resident Andy Havington has been organizing a walking group of kindergartners and parents for our 150th parade on Aug. 20. His hope is that we can show the wider community just how strong the educational system is in the North Penn Area and have an amazing display of support for the Class of 2035.”
When asked, ‘Why are you marching?’ mom Carolyn Stoczko said, "We are marching to show my kids that they add value to our community and they’re important members of it as well!”
On parade day, marchers will be supported by a large number of volunteers and will be entertained by a local kid-centric DJ. Expect lots of singing and dancing before and during the parade, which starts at 5 p.m. The group will gather at 4 at York Avenue in Lansdale.
To sign up, email the child’s name, parent’s name, telephone number, and email contact info as well as the school she/he will be attending, to
[email protected].
