45th Annual Flag Day Parade Kicks off Tonight

Dedham's annual Flag Day Parade kicks off at 6 p.m. tonight. 

The parade will begin in Dedham Square and head down High Street to East Dedham. Then, the parade will head right on to Milton Street, Right on to Walnut Street, left on Oakdale Avenue, right on Sanderson, right on Mt. Vernon and a left on Whiting. The parade will end at .

"The Flag Day parade has been held in Dedham for 45 years," Parks and Recreations Director Bob Stanley said. "There are probably about 20 different bands marching in this years parade."

Stanley said the weather does play a factor in the size of the parade, but barring any rain, "there should be no reason to think this year's parade would be any smaller or have a lesser turnout than previous years."

This year Dedham Patch worked with Dedham Park and Recreation to bring back the unofficial mayor of Dedham contest, raising nearly $16,000 for both Park and Recreation and local charities. Dedham Patch will be on hand to honor Unofficial Mayor and Unofficial Deputy Mayor for their fundraising efforts. Stanley says this was the biggest mayor race in the history of the program which was brought back to life this year after several years. Both candidates were chosen by Dedham Patch readers.

Back in April we put a call out for  telling us who you thought should be honored as unofficial mayor of Dedham. Following the nomination process, readers were asked to . Once the voting phase was over, the top two nominees had to get out the vote, asking friends and family for $1 per vote. The person with the most votes after a month of campaigning would win the unofficial mayor contest.