Here’s a look back at the turn of the century, the infamous Y2K. This is a fun collection of 34 photos of the 2000 Hopewell Borough Memorial Day Parade. These are part of the Kianka collection of Memorial Day photos, kindly donated by Doug Robbins. Joe Kianka was a World War II Navy veteran, and long-time member and officer of Hopewell Valley American Legion Post 339, which organized the parade during this period.
While the year 2000 parade was a quarter-century ago, much is still familiar, including the high school marching bands, the large American Legion field flag, various community groups, and lots of antique cars.
You’ll recognize the reviewing stand set up on the Runyon Farmstead property at 19 West Broad Street, the historic houses in the background across the street, the view facing east up the road to Greenwood Ave. (with the traffic lights), and the Dana building (former bank) on the corner at 2 East Broad St. (then with the distinctive red banner).
The collection does not include photos of all the different groups that marched in the parade. In particular, it is missing the typical variety of fire equipment from multiple local fire companies that you see at these parades. There also are a wide range of community groups, familiar and unfamiliar, including the Blawenburg Band, the New Jersey Field Music corps (Civil War uniforms), the Princeton Elks, the Second Calvary Baptist Church, the Military Order Purple Heart war veterans organization, and the Amwell Valley Hounds Pony Club.
- See the set of 2000 Hopewell Borough Memorial Day Parade photos in the Image Gallery
- See the full Hopewell Borough Memorial Day Parade photo album back to the 1950s in the Image Gallery
Parade Report
Report on the Hopewell parade from the Trenton Times, May 29, 2000:
Several members of the sponsoring Hopewell Valley American Legion Post 339 showed the colors as they carried a huge American flag along East Broad Street near the start of the borough’s traditional Memorial Day Parade yesterday.
Following Post 339, the military theme continued with the Military Order of the Purple Heart and New Jersey Field Music, which featured men dressed as Civil War soldiers marching to the beat of a lead drummer.
The Hopewell Valley Central High School Marching Unit played “America the Beautiful” and the Montgomery High School Marching Unit followed later with other patriotic songs.
Seven tractors, followed by a float covered in hay and topped by a person dressed as a pumpkin, displayed signs announcing the Hopewell Harvest Fair on Sept. 23 and asking for volunteers to help organize the event.
Members of the Hopewell Valley Lions Club, the Princeton Elks and the Second Calvary Baptist Church also marched in the parade. Children from Hopewell Borough rode on the back of a truck in support of the borough’s Recreation Committee and upcoming Summer Concert Series.
Scouts of all flavors from Hopewell, Montgomery and Skillman participated. Girl Scouts from Troop 458 made a large black canon and placed it on a float they decorated with many American flags. Brownies wore red, white and blue tie-dyed shirts and carried American flags. Cub Scouts from Troop 46 of Montgomery carried signs of admirable traits: loyal, brave, helpful and cheerful.
Older cars in the parade included an Impala, two Thunderbirds and a Nova. Several were adorned with American flags, while two large stuffed animals joined the driver of a Corvair for the ride.
Members of the Crescent Motorcycle Patrol from Trenton amazed paradegoers with their ability to ride in circles and other tight formations. The crowd was also impressed by the talents of several young girls in riding gear astride horses.
Parade Photos
This collection of 34 photos is consolidated from two different rolls of film, apparently shot by two different people, with overlapping views of different participants in the parade. (One set has a date stamp on the bottom right of the front of the photos, and the other is unmarked.) The 2000 date also is shown on the banner carried by the Second Calvary Baptist Church group.
The order of march, as can be determined from the combined photos:
- 01-02 – Reviewing Stand – Joe Kianka standing in back
- 03 – Balloon vendor
- 04 – Reviewing Stand, Balloon vendor behind in street, Blawenburg Band across street on right
- 05 – Blawenburg Band across Broad Street
- 06-09 – Hopewell Valley Central High School Band
- 10-14 – Hopewell Valley American Legion Post 339 marching with large field flag
- 15-16 – New Jersey Field Music corps – Union Civil War uniforms and drummers
- 17 – Princeton B.P.O. Elks No. 2129 (Benevolent Protection Order)
- 18-19 – Harvest Fair tractors – “Harvesting Volunteers” – Pumpkin person float
- 20-21 – Montgomery High School Band
- 22 – Second Calvary Baptist Church, Hopewell – 103 Years of Faithfulness, 1897-2000
- 23-24 – Hopewell Fire Department, HFD #1 antique truck
- 25 – Crescent Motorcycle Patrol from Trenton riding in formation
- 26 – Unknown adult band, green shirts ?
- 27 – Green Corvair with two large stuffed animals
- 28 – Leighs Service Station pickup – Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH, war veterans organization) and Ladies Auxiliary Life Members
- 29-30 – Beige car – unreadable sign ?
- 31 – Gold antique car – A.V.H.P.C. with horses (Amwell Valley Hounds Pony Club)
- 32-24 – Antique cars
Comments and more information on these are welcome, as are other Memorial Day and historical images.
Any ideas on some of the later groups and individual vehicles? For example, what was the adult band with green shirts (#26)?
- See the set of 2000 Hopewell Borough Memorial Day Parade photos in the Image Gallery
- See the full Hopewell Borough Memorial Day Parade photo album back to the 1950s in the Image Gallery
More on Memorial Day Activities
Posts on Memorial Day parades and activities
See also Town Events and Veterans Organizations
Memorial Day Parades
- Hopewell Parade Videos 1946 – 1948 – Memorial Day & 1948 Firemen’s videos
- Hopewell Memorial Day Parades c. 1950
- Hopewell Scenes – Memorial Day 1950 – 1990
- Hopewell Memorial Day Parades – 1960s & 70s
- Memorial Day Snapshots – Behind the Scenes – 1960s and 2005
- Memorial Day 1967 – Eagle Bakery
- Pennington Memorial Day Parade Video – 1984
- Hopewell Borough Memorial Day Parade – 1992
- 1990s Pennington Parade Videos – May Day, Memorial Day
Memorial Day and Related History
- Memorial Day – Hopewell’s First Fatality in WW II (1943)
- V-J Day in Hopewell (1945), as reported in the Hopewell News
- 1940s Hopewell Videos – Hopewell Honor Roll
- Where are the Hopewell Valley WW II Honor Rolls?
- Where are the Pennington Honor Rolls?
- Building World War II Avenger Torpedo Bombers at Mercer Airport (1942-45)
Veterans Organizations
- Hopewell Borough Veterans Organizations – GAR & American Legion
Media
- Images: Hopewell Memorial Day Album (Image Gallery)
- Video: Anderson Hopewell Parades 1946-48 (YouTube)
Memorial Day Observances
