On Saturday afternoon (May 25) the Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade was held in downtown Erie, PA. The parade is one of many events to be held as part of Erie’s Perry 200 Commemoration that honors the 200th Anniversary of Commodore Oliver Perry’s defeat of the British in the War of 1812. The 1.8 mile parade route traveled east on 12th Street from Cherry to 3rd and State Street through downtown Erie. This historic parade featured more than 20 bands, numerous floats, several marching units, antique cars, giant helium-filled cartoon and patriotic balloons and more. The Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade was the largest and most diverse celebration ever seen on the streets of Erie!
There were nine parade divisions — one division for each of the nine American vessels that fought in the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813. I will showcase photographs from each division in nine separate blog posts. This blog post showcases photographs from Division 3.
On Saturday afternoon (May 25) the Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade was held in downtown Erie, PA. The parade is one of many events to be held as part of Erie’s Perry 200 Commemoration that honors the 200th Anniversary of Commodore Oliver Perry’s defeat of the British in the War of 1812. The 1.8 mile parade route traveled east on 12th Street from Cherry to 3rd and State Street through downtown Erie. This historic parade featured more than 20 bands, numerous floats, several marching units, antique cars, giant helium-filled cartoon and patriotic balloons and more. The Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade was the largest and most diverse celebration ever seen on the streets of Erie!
There were nine parade divisions — one division for each of the nine American vessels that fought in the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813. I will showcase photographs from each division in nine separate blog posts. This blog post showcases photographs from Division 2.
Erie County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse
Penelec parade participant
The Cadets, a Jr. Drum Corps
Erie Chapter of the Penn-Ohio Model A Ford Club Antique Cars
Erie Chapter of the Penn-Ohio Model A Ford Club Antique Cars
On Saturday afternoon (May 25) the Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade was held in downtown Erie, PA. The parade is one of many events to be held as part of Erie’s Perry 200 Commemoration that honors the 200th Anniversary of Commodore Oliver Perry’s defeat of the British in the War of 1812. The 1.8 mile parade route traveled east on 12th Street from Cherry to 3rd and State Street through downtown Erie. This historic parade featured more than 20 bands, numerous floats, several marching units, antique cars, giant helium-filled cartoon and patriotic balloons and more. The Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade was the largest and most diverse celebration ever seen on the streets of Erie!
There were nine parade divisions — one division for each of the nine American vessels that fought in the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813. I will showcase photographs from each division in nine separate blog posts. This blog post showcases photographs from Division 1.
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 112th Regiment, of Cambridge Springs, carried an American flag measuring 60 feet long and 30 feet wide.
The Giant American Flag was followed by armored vehicles from the Pennsylvania National Guard unit.
Blue Knights International Motorcycle Club
Jefferson Educational Society Float
the Preston Scout House Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps, of Cambridge, Ontario
the Preston Scout House Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps, of Cambridge, Ontario
American Association of University Women (AAUW) Float
On Saturday afternoon (May 25) the Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade was held in downtown Erie, PA. The parade is one of many events to be held as part of Erie’s Perry 200 Commemoration that honors the 200th Anniversary of Commodore Oliver Perry’s defeat of the British in the War of 1812. The 1.8 mile parade route traveled east on 12th Street from Cherry to 3rd and State Street through downtown Erie. This historic parade featured more than 20 bands, numerous floats, several marching units, antique cars, giant helium-filled cartoon and patriotic balloons and more. The Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade was the largest and most diverse celebration ever seen on the streets of Erie!
Bob and I walked down to Perry Square at 10:00 am that morning.
Perry Square Fountain
As you can see it was a gorgeous day for a parade.
Don’t let the blue skies, though, fool you. It was a cool day, as evidenced by the attire worn by parade spectators.
The parade didn’t begin until 1:00 pm, but parade spectators showed up well in advance to get a good place from which to view the parade.
We listened to the Erie Thunderbirds Drum & Bugle Corps at Perry Square, as it was warming up for the parade.
At approximately 1:15 pm the Erie Thunderbirds performed opening ceremonies at Perry Square.
As I mentioned earlier, the parade began at 1:00 pm. The start of the parade did not reach Perry Square until approximately 1:40 pm, with Brett Fallon leading the Erie Flash Mob and Dance Elite* Performance Company with music by The Groove.
The Groove
Some of the dancers
Bob took the video of the Erie flash mob, while I took still photographs.
This is where Bob stood, while he videotaped the Erie Flash Mob, as it passed by Perry Square.
The man standing by Bob is Chris. We met him at the parade. He is now my Facebook friend. I stood even higher than Bob and Chris, while I took still photographs of the Erie Flash Mob. I gave my spot to Chris, after photographing the Erie Flash Mob. I didn’t particularly feel comfortable standing a couple feet above ground, leaning against a pole for stability and balance, on a small piece of concrete! Chris ended up standing up there for 3 1/2 hours! Bob and I didn’t stay at Perry Square for the duration of the parade. We watched the parade from various points between Perry Square and 10th and State Street.
There were nine parade divisions — one division for each of the nine American vessels that fought in the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813. I will showcase photographs from each division in nine separate blog posts.
Bob and I spent two nights (May 24 and May 25) at the Avalon Hotel in downtown Erie. The purpose of our weekend stay was to attend the Perry 200 Grand Patriotic Parade that was held on Saturday. The parade was one of many events to be held as part of Erie’s Perry 200 Commemoration. This blog post contains details of and photographs from our first night in Erie. My next blog post will showcase Saturday’s parade.
We left for Erie on Friday soon after Bob got off work. We checked into the hotel around 2:30 pm. Soon after checking in we drove to the Millcreek Mall area, to Best Buy. Bob wanted to look for a gadget bag to hold his tablet and accessories. He found a very nice bag for a good price. Best Buy matched Amazon’s lower price, saving Bob $20+ on the purchase.
From Best Buy we went to Golden Corral for an early dinner. We haven’t eaten at Golden Corral for quite so time. It was good for a change. The buffet offered a wide variety of tasty food selections. What I will rave about, though, is the chocolate fountain. I enjoyed a chocolate-covered strawberry and two chocolate-covered macaroons.
Back at the hotel we went for a walk to and around Perry Square, which is located only a few blocks from the Avalon Hotel.
The Northwest Savings Bank truck reminds me of collectible toy truck coin banks.
We saw a fish jump out of the sidewalk 🙂
Perry Square is located on either side of State Street. Bleach seating is set up for Saturday’s parade.
Perry Square is home to the Oliver Hazard Perry Statue.
the Oliver Hazard Perry Statue
It was a cold, windy, cloudy and sometimes wet day on Friday. The sky started to clear up Friday evening, rewarding us with a very nice sunset.
An unexpected surprise was a fireworks display that we were able to see from our sixth floor hotel room. The fireworks display was an Erie SeaWolves promotion. The Erie SeaWolves are a minor league baseball team based in Erie.
The Beauty Around Us 