TERRYVILLE - The Plymouth Bicentennial Parade to be held Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. has grown to include numerous floats and marching units comprising more than 2,000 persons, chairman Edwin Chmieleski said Monday.
Perhaps the major attraction will be the return of television star Ted Knight to his home town to serve as grand marshal of the parade. Saturday night a testimonial dinner will be given for the Terryville native in the high school, with more than 500 persons holding tickets for this event. A crowd of some 45,000 persons is expected for the parade. Chmieleski said no further entries into the parade can now be accepted, as final plans are being made. Ted Knight will ride the entire route of the parade and will then be escorted by police through alternate roads to the reviewing stand on Baldwin Park.
The lineup for the parade includes, first division: Chmieleski, state police color guard, state police vehicle, Mattatuck Drum Band, Bicentennial Committee officers, senior citizens, town councilmen, Selectman Walter K. Lassy Jr., Major George Ford, Terryville High School Band, Sgt. George Janser Post Color Guard, Grand Marshal Ted Knight and Bicentennial Chairman J. Francis Ryan, Bicentennial Committee float, Bicentennial Parade Committee, Washington Park Fife and Drum, Terryville Fire Department, fire trucks, float, Terryvillettes Drill Team and Terryville Ambulance.
Second division: American Legion Color Guard, float, Westbury Drum Corps, Thomaston Fire Department, fire trucks, float, Air National Guard Float, Carey's Fife and Drum, seniors, Thomaston Bicentennial Queen and Court, float, Prospect Fife and Drum Corps, Unionville Fire Department, trucks, float, New Britain P.A.L of 90 members, float, 10yearold stage coach and oxen team by West End Package Store.
Third division: Veterans Foreign Wars Color Guard, Veterans Foreign Wars Firing Squad, Plainville Fife and Drum Corps, Wolcott Fire Department, float, float, Portland Ancient Fife and Drum Corps, Beard Contest Contestants, float, Carey's Cadets Fife and Drum, Jr. float, Terryville Girl Scouts floats, Bristol Musicians Union Band, float, and Connecticut National Guard Truck.
Fourth division: New Britain Britainaires Fife and Drum Corps, float, Terryville Dance Group with Purcell Majorettes, Jack Schultz Pony Wagon, float, Forestville Fife and Drum Corps, Terryville Girls' Club, float, Plymouth Center School float, Yankee Privateers Fife and Drum Corps, float, three horses from Miner Road, float, Connecticut Raggies, an old time orchestra, and Terryville Ambulance Corps.
The parade will form, according to J. Francis Ryan, on Harwinton Avenue, West Main Street and Elm Street and will proceed east over Main Street to Riverside Avenue, turning into Riverside to Schultz Street, where it will proceed to the parking lot in the rear of the Town Hall to disband. As the parade nears Schultz Street, all floats and other parade vehicles will turn to the left entering the parking area on the west side of Riverside Avenue. The judges' stand for the parade will be located on Main Street near the Bicentennial Committee's headquarters, which will be open for the sale of novelty items, including Bicentennial cookbooks.
All through traffic Saturday will be detoured by local and state police and by CB members who have volunteered their services. All local police will be on duty, and traffic will be shut off from Main Street at 1 p.m. All floats which are to be judged are to be on Orchard Street at 10 a.m., facing north. Orchard Street will be closed to all other traffic, and the winner of the best float competition will be awarded a trophy by the Terryville Plymouth Chamber of Commerce.
[The Bristol Press, Monday, June 7, 1976]