Veterans’ Parade Going on 55 Years in the Town

By Judith Dorato O’Gara

Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend, “is probably the single event in Wellesley that gathers everyone together. The way our culture is now, there are very few times we all gather for a single purpose, and this is the event that does that. You’re either in the parade or you’re watching the parade. In the weekend, every single social and civic organization is doing something. They’re at the picnic with a booth, or they’re in the parade,” says Carl Nelson. He’s Treasurer and a member of Wellesley Celebrations Committee, which reports to the Town Select Board. The 25-year Wellesley resident has volunteered for Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend for the past decade, this past year serving as Parade Marshal.

The Veterans’ Parade, which honors all veterans who have served our country and recognizes the many organizations and people who serve Wellesley, has taken place for going on 55 years. Twenty-five years ago, festivities were added to create an entire weekend of family fun centered on community pride, with the next Wellesley Wonderful Weekend scheduled to take place on May 20th-22nd, 2023. 

“It’s exciting that (2023 will be) the 25th year of the Wellesley Wonderful Weekend,” says Nelson. “For over half a century we’ve had the veterans’ parade, but now it’s the 25th year we’ve been holding the fireworks and the umbrella events – open houses at all the police and fire stations, nature walks and those types of things on Saturday, and then Sunday we have the parade, a band concert, picnic, games, and fireworks on Sunday night. It’s probably the largest celebration in the MetroWest area. This year, we also just added a car show and co-sponsored a dog show with the Wellesley Rotary Club, that benefited Ukraine relief. It was such a success we will continue it this year.” 

Hunnewell Field is the center of a lot of activity during the weekend, with a stage, a picnic area, and a fun zone, as well as booths with vendors and community organizations. In addition to performances, the stage offers a place for the Wellesley community to acknowledge outstanding community members each year with awards for distinguished service, community service, dedicated service, and special recognition. 

The celebration is primarily funded through donations, says Nelson, with about 90% of funding coming from donations from either corporations or by residents. “The town provides a lot of services and things like that, which is fantastic. They also provide about 10% of the funds,” says Nelson. Private supporters can choose from various levels of sponsorship, including Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Patron. Over the years, certain sponsors have provided exceptional sponsorship, notes Nelson, “Roche Bros., if they sponsor it again (in 2023), has sponsored the fireworks for each and every one of the 25 years. We’re also blessed to have the Wellesley Dental Group, Drs. Ali and Ali, who have also sponsored for the last 10 years.”

Many volunteers, bringing their own unique talents to the table, are always needed for Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend. Whether you have time to give that weekend or whether your special skill set would better suit the months leading up to May, the Celebrations Committee can use help in the following areas:

• Parade Day Management

• Picnic Event Management

• Kids Games Management 

• Food Management 

• Accounting/Finance 

• Marketing 

• Antique Car and Convertible Management 

• Writing 

• Graphic Design 

• Publicity 

• Photography 

• Radio Communications Team 

• Veterans Liaison 

• Town Liaison

• Carpentry 

• Float Construction 

• Sponsorship Fundraising 

To learn more, view past photos, volunteer or otherwise support the event, visit 

https://wellesleywonderfulweekend.com. If you have any questions, please contact organizers at 

[email protected].