Hometown Heroes Ticker Tape Parade

Historic image Wikipedia

NYC’s first ticker-tape parade since the Pandemic will march along the Canyon of Heroes on Wednesday, July 7, to honor the essential workers who helped steer NYC to recovery from devastation.

Sandra Lindsay, the Queens nurse who was the very first American to receive Pfizer’s vaccine in December, will serve as the grand marshal.

Everyday heroes like first responders, grocery and food delivery workers and healthcare staff will also were celebrated on Sunday at the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks.

I would also include the doormen, superintendents, handymen who have kept our apartment buildings safe and functioning in the difficult days of the last 15 months, and hope they are represented in this historic parade of gratitude.

It will be an emotional trip along the Canyon of Heroes, where such other national heroes as presidents including JFK and Nixon, astronauts including the Apollo 11 crew, generals such as Douglas MacArthur, Super Bowl and World Series winners including the New York Yankees have been honored over the years.

There will be 14 floats representing 260 different groups of essential workers, making it one of the biggest ticker-tape parades in the city’s history.

One of the floats will be a historic 118-year-old subway car with woven seats and leather straps. This time, it passengers will be  essential workers.  Car 1273 is one of the most prized pieces in the collection of the NYC Transit Museum in Brooklyn.

Historic photo courtesy History.com

The groups honored will include:

• Hospitals
• Healthcare
• Emergency food
• Community care
• First responders
• Transportation
• City workers
• Small businesses and bodegas
• Education and child care
• Utilities
• Hospitality/buildings care
• Reinforcements
• Advocacy organizations
• Communication and delivery

Fully vaccinated New Yorkers are invited to “come as you are,” while those who aren’t yet immunized can also show up but should wear masks and maintain 6 feet of social distancing as “best you can,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in his press conference announcing the parade.

Historic photo courtesy Wikipedia

Statements by top NYC Officials:

“During one of the city’s darkest moments, our essential workers sacrificed their own health and time with family to serve all New Yorkers. Now that our city has reopened, it’s fitting to honor these heroes with a New York-style celebration. Our city is on the path to recovery because of their work and it’s time to clap for them in-person as they march the Canyon of Heroes,” said Speaker Corey Johnson.

“New York’s essential workers more than deserve to be honored with a ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes,” said US Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, “I look forward to celebrating and thanking the incredible New Yorkers who kept this city going throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

“The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented generational impact on all New Yorkers and New York City and it is an understatement to say that that our hometown heroes rose to the challenge, sacrificing all that they had to keep us safe,” said US Representative Adriano Espaillat. “Without their heroism, countless more lives would have been lost during this public health emergency had it not been for sustained commitment of our hometown essential workers in all sectors of our daily lives upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. New York City will forever be indebted to our hometown heroes. I’m proud to join Mayor de Blasio and leaders to recognize all of our essential workers who have put their lives ahead of their own for the sake of all New Yorkers. To everyone who came together in our times of crisis and need: Thank you and we are forever indebted to you.”

“Words cannot begin to express the endless gratitude, admiration and love Queens has for our essential workers — many of whom call our borough home — who kept us afloat in the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Queens was the epicenter of the epicenter of the world’s worst public health crisis in a century,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. “To the doctors, nurses and first responders who put their own lives on the line to save complete strangers, the grocery store and food service workers who kept our families fed, the city employees who clocked in every day to keep Queens moving and all our guardians; you deserve a celebration befitting the remarkable heroism you’ve all shown. On July 7 and every day, we stand with you and pledge to honor all you’ve done for us.”

“Our essential workers were the lifeblood of the borough during the pandemic and we will always be in their debt for their selflessness during the many challenges presented by COVID-19. This parade is a fitting tribute to the people who put on their respective uniforms each day and did their part to save lives and keep our essential services running,” said Staten Island Borough President James Oddo.

“I hope that many eyes have been opened to the value of these jobs that were deemed “essential” during quarantine,” said Council Member Margaret Chin. “Historically, so many of these workers are underpaid because their work is unfairly mischaracterized as unskilled labor. The New Yorkers who delivered your groceries, cooked your takeout food, or drove you to your appointments deserve to be recognized not just for their contribution to our city’s economy, but because we rely on them to keep our city running. These New Yorkers risked exposure to a deadly virus during a global pandemic while so many others had the privilege of staying at home. As the city reopens we must continue to respect and advocate for these workers, and it is our honor to march alongside them.”

“New York City owes a debt of gratitude to our essential workers that we can never truly repay. The essential workers who fed us, cared for our neighbors, and kept our City running are indeed heroes,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman. “I’m glad Mayor de Blasio is planning a Hometown Heroes Ticker Tape Parade this July and I can’t wait to celebrate these vital New Yorkers as they march down the Canyon of Heroes, cementing their place in our City’s rich history.”