Remember Memorial Day?

Last week’s Memorial Day parade and celebration brought out scores of Gilroyans, standing together and enjoying the event that exemplifies the growing city’s enduring small-town charm.

It was also a day when folks had plenty of better things to do than read the newspaper!

In this new feature, Gilroy Patch will bring you some stories that you might have missed the first time around.

Reporter Ann Krueger-Spivack brought readers an interview with Frank Bozzo, a retired Gilroy police officer who meticulously restored a 1948 paddy wagon once used for law enforcement in the city. It hit the streets again for the Memorial Day parade.

Attendees of the city’s Memorial Day parade were standing shoulder-to-shoulder as the procession made its way down 10th Street. Looking at these photos, it’s easy to see why the event is so popular.

In its second year, the Memorial Day Car Show, organized through Central Coast Muscle Cars & Classics, was a huge hit. More than 200 cars were present, representing a wide range of eras and adding oomph to the day’s festivities at Christmas Hill Park.

The Family Day event at Christmas Hill Park was a popular epilogue to the parade, drawing families to enjoy the summery weather.

Reporter Ann Krueger-Spivack wrote that there were two particular attendees, both sixth-graders at Ascencion Solorsano Middle School, who took center stage for winning first and second place in the annual Memorial Day scholarship contest.

Winner Adrianna Queen wrote, "Memorial Day is important because it helps me to remember to give thanks for all the brave people who choose to go to war knowing the consequences of war. That is why I think of Memorial Day as being important while some people might think of Memorial Day as a day off, a bad day because a lot of stores are closed, or even a good time to go on a road trip ... because they are taking Memorial Day for granted."

The morning's remembrance ceremony at Saint Mary Cemetery was, by many accounts, the most important event of the day. Veterans and family came to show their respect to Gilroy residents who have fallen in the line of duty.