Annual parade returns to University Heights

A parade will return to University Heights in 2021. This year only, instead of Memorial Day, the parade will be on the Fourth of July.

For one year only, the annual University Heights parade will be held on the Fourth of July.

For decades, every year, University Heights has held Northeast Ohio’s biggest and best Memorial Day parade—and Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan said the city plans to bring back the Memorial Day Parade in 2022.

Due to current pandemic concerns, however, it is uncertain if it would be safe to throw a full-fledged Memorial Day parade this year. Chagrin Falls and other cities in Northeast Ohio have decided against holding a parade over Memorial Day weekend. University Heights will err on the side of caution and hold a parade later in the summer.

By scheduling a parade on Sunday, July 4, the city will have five additional weeks for people to get vaccinated and for the health risk to subside further.

Parade details, including the time, route, and rules in regard to public safety, will be announced soon.

Any group or organization that is interested in participating in the parade should contact Rachel Mullen at UH City Hall, at rmullen@universityheights.com. Residents may also contact Mullen if they would like to volunteer with the parade committee.

President Thomas J. Whitmore once proclaimed, “We will not go quietly into the night . . . We’re going to live on. We’re going to survive. Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!”

Of course, Whitmore is the president in the movie “Independence Day.” And he was talking about fighting back against an attacker from outer space, not a virus. But as corny as it might be, we are defeating an enemy. The streets of University will not be quiet this summer. Its parade tradition will live on. And on July 4, University Heights will celebrate Independence Day.