Independence Day Parade returns June 25

New  York City’s oldest American Independence Day Parade will again turn Sunset Park’s Fifth Avenue into a boulevard of red, white and blue as the Brooklyn-based Long Island Assembly – the patriotic wing of the Knights of Columbus – holds its 116th commemoration of our nation’s birth.

The parade celebrating America’s 247th birthday takes place Sunday, June 25 at 11 a.m. and runs from 60th to 44th Street.

The early versions of this march were held along Prospect Park West in Park Slope, then for several years along Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, followed by a couple of years on 13th Avenue in Dyker Heights, followed by Court Street in Carroll Gardens.

Before the parade, Bishop Robert Brennan, head of the Brooklyn Catholic Diocese, will preside over a 10 a.m. Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He will also present the parade group’s prestigious Pro Patria Award to Rev. Michael Gelfant, pastor of Blessed Trinity Church and deputy chief chaplain of the MTA.

Army Lt. Col. Richard A. Szabo, commander of the New York Military Entrance Processing Station, is the grand marshal. His command at Fort Hamilton is where new recruits from all the armed services are processed and sworn in for  service. His lengthy and distinguished career includes deployments to Iraq and Kosovo.

The parade chairman is retired NYPD Lt. Sean Flanagan, who plays bagpipes for the department’s Pipes and Drums corps.

Groups interested in marching in the parade should contact Flanagan at 917-751-2073 or email Seanflanagan0702@gmail.com.