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Banner Carrying

Members of Troop 21, of Putnam, get ready to carry the banner in front of Parade Marshall Dr. Louise Berry’s car at the Holiday Dazzle Light Parade. Left to right: Troop 21 Senior Patrol Leader Richard L. LaBonte Jr., Scout James Lazarou, Scoutmaster Peter A. Lombardo and Scout Damien-Michael Jacques. Photo by John D. Ryan.

 

 

 

 

PUTNAM —  Most people are busy around Thanksgiving time. Troop 21 is no exception. Soon after their turkey was fully digested Nov. 27, several members of the Putnam Boy Scout troop carried the banner in front of Parade Marshall Dr. Louise Berry’s car, during the 15th annual Holiday Dazzle Light Parade.

Berry was the superintendent of schools in Brooklyn from 1983 until her recent retirement. The lifelong educator said she was happy to be escorted by Troop 21.

“I’ve seen so many great young people,” she said, moments before the parade began. “These young men compare very favorably. I’m so glad they’re here tonight.”

Carrying the banner in the parade was the follow-up to Troop 21’s latest service project, when the Scouts helped to serve turkey dinners to 44 clients of Putnam’s John Dempsey Center, when they volunteered at the Albert J. Breault VFW Post 1523 on Providence Street the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Troop 21 has waited tables at the annual event for more than 15 years. 

Dempsey Center Thanksgiving Dinner Chairman Charles L. Mahoney, of Putnam, looks forward to seeing Troop 21 every year. “We need the Scouts there to help us,” Mahoney said. “They’re a godsend. They make it much easier for the VFW to serve our guests and perform our community service.”

Chartered to St. Mary Church of the Visitation in Putnam, Troop 21 Scoutmaster Peter A. Lombardo, of Putnam, said the parade and the dinner was part of the troop’s busy schedule. It all started with an August fishing trip, followed by a hike up Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire and a recent, hands-on science and technology program for Scouts, held at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London.