Sterling Heights celebrates Memorial Day with 44th annual ceremony, parade and Tuskegee flyover

Sterling Heights' 44th Annual Memorial Day festivities begin with a 9 a.m. Memorial Day Ceremony in the courtyard between City Hall (40555 Utica Road) and the Police Department. The ceremony features remarks from the 2023 Grand Marshal Larry Sargent, vice president of the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum; Mayor Michael Taylor; Art Commission Chairperson Jeanne Schabath-Lewis and Congressman John James. Music from the Motor City Blend Chorus and 1^st Michigan Colonial Fife & Drum Corps will also add to the respectful patriotic tone of the event.

A highlight of this year's parade will be an exciting flyover of authentic Tuskegee Airmen WWII airplanes at approximately 9:30 a.m. The flyover is sponsored by BAE Systems and DC3S in Sterling Heights. In addition, the Grand Marshal Larry Sargent will ride in the Detroit RedTail's 2011 Ford Mustang, affectionately called the RedTail. The vehicle is custom wrapped to emulate the red-tailed P-51 Mustang fighter plane flown in WWII by the 332^nd Fighter Group, the famed Tuskegee Airmen. The RedTail will be on display near the ceremony prior to the start of the parade.

The parade will kick-off at 10 a.m. from Dodge Park and head through the roundabout and south on Dodge Park Road, ending at Heritage Jr. High, at Metro Parkway. Parking for spectators of the parade will be along the parade route and in front of the Police Department and the Richard J. Notte Civic Center. More than 60 entries, including numerous floats, veterans, community organizations and high school marching bands will be marching in the parade. The Moslem Shriners along with their team of volunteer clowns, cowboys, musicians, motorcyclists and more will also make their annual appearance in the Sterling Heights Memorial Day Parade.

"The Sterling Heights Memorial Day ceremony and parade is one of our City's signature events and is known as one of the best, most well-attended Memorial Day events in the region," said Mayor Michael C. Taylor. "The number of spectators who join us each year demonstrates how much our community values our veterans and believes in the importance of honoring the men and women who gave their lives to protect our country."

For more information on the Memorial Day Parade or Ceremony, please contact the Sterling Heights Community Relations Department at (586) 446-2470.