Parade To Honor Marquis de Lafayette
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Born Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette in France, Lafayette was an important figure in the Revolutionary War. He fought when he was only 19 years old and was shot in his first battle. He was a French Foreign National and he was not conferred citizen ship in the United States until 2002 when he was posthumously made an honorary American citizen.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com The Pennsbury High School Marching. band on Radcliffe Street.
To honor his legacy and his return to Bristol Borough after a 40 year absence, a short parade was held Sunday. It was organized by the Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation. The parade featured the Pennsbury High School Marchin Band and a horse drawn carriage with Mark Schnieder a character actor playing the role of Lafayette .
The parade started at 2:00PM and went down Radcliffe Street, towards Mill Street. At Lafayette Street, there was a brief ceremony to rededicate the street sign by borough Mayor Ralph DiGuiseppe III. The covering got stuck and was freed up by a member of the Pennsbury High School Marching Band.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com Mayor Ralph DiGuiseppe111 Unveils the street sign.
When the parade reached Mill Street, a small crowd of several hundred people were on hand to partake in the ceremony, which included brief remarks by the mayor and politicians like State Rep Tina Davis and State Senator Steve Santarsiero as well as Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie. The original wooden sign “Welcome Friends” was brought out and put in front of the stage. Lafayette rode through the boro in 1824 underneath that very sign.
After the event was finished, local shops had Lafayette themed specials and sales.