PULASKI, NY – The Village of Pulaski, New York, celebrated a recently created tradition on the evening of Thursday, June 23, gathering along the streets of the small town to celebrate Pulaski Academy and Central School’s class of 2022.
The warm, still air of an early summer evening was pierced by the sound of approaching sirens as Pulaski’s Ringgold Fire Department led a festive parade of vehicles bearing members of the Class of 2022 through the streets of the normally quiet village.
A tradition born of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated social distancing requirements, graduation parades have become a staple of the commencement rituals of small towns across the U.S.
The seniors rode through the village on a variety of decorated cars and trucks, following police and fire vehicles and a jeep bearing several retiring members of the school’s faculty.
A float decorated to resemble a football gridiron carried members of the varsity football team, decked out in jerseys and equipped with a grill for pre-game tailgating. Several seniors drove the parade route in their own vehicles, a selection ranging from customized cars to pick up trucks with raised suspensions and large off-road ready tires.
The streets were lined with well wishers and proud parents, many of whom set up chairs and gathered in groups of acquainted neighbors to wave and cheer the soon to be graduates as the line of vehicles carried them toward the next chapters in their lives.
The parade followed a route that traveled north up Rt. 11 from the Middle -Senior High School and then made a circuit around the core of the village, passing by both the North and South parks and then south on Salina Street through the historic business district.
The parade returned the seniors to the school grounds, where a cookout awaited the group. The addition of this event is just another way to adapt to the post-covid reality and still celebrate the academic success of a group of resilient young people.
Photos below by Michael Johnson.
