The Clarkston Labor Day Parade needs a new sponsor this year. Clarkston Rotary Club bowed out of organizing and sponsoring the annual end-of-summer parade after 76 years.
“It was a very difficult decision to come to. Obviously, it’s an important part of the community,” said Rotarian Joel DeLong, parade chairperson for the last 20 years. “Our club has been stretched thin. We’re involved in so many things in the community.”
“The club has enjoyed its 76 years of sponsoring and running the parade, but we have decided to concentrate our efforts on other worthwhile projects in and around the city,” said Alfred A. Avery, incoming president, in a letter to Clarkston City Manager Jonathan Smith.
Rotary projects include international youth exchange, summer camps, Shoes for Kids, scholarships for the high schools, and helping out at Ronald McDonald House, Grace Centers of Hope, Children’s Hospital, and other local and international causes, DeLong said.
Rotary will assist another group or organization volunteering to take over the parade in the transition, Avery said.
“We look forward to our combined contributions to the city and all of its citizens and want to thank each and every one that has contributed their time and efforts through the years with the Labor Day Parade,” he said.
For more information, call DeLong at 248-561-8523.
– Phil Custodio