Profound Statement
At Sharon Parade

Ten-year-old Samantha Tabor's hard work and fascination with telescopes garnered her some top awards.

I was taking photos of the Old Home Day parade in Sharon Aug. 4, thinking of the 115-year-old history of this event. As the parade wound through the village on that lovely day, the South Royalton Town Band was playing and folks were excited to see each float entry.

Suddenly, along came a very slight woman, clad in black, solemnly walking on the center line. She clutched a tri-folded flag tightly curled in her arms. Her demeanor alone spike of grief, aloneness, and purpose.

Closely following her a tall man in dark suit led a horse. From behind the camera, the scene imprinted my mind and haunted me as I tried to sleep that night. That couple for me was the epitome of all the men and women, mothers, sisters, brothers, fathers and other relatives who have waited for a beloved soldier to return to them. In this little town and across America, in this day and for centuries past, so many bear the long wait only to face a flag-draped casket at the end.

The veiled woman was Debra Fisk, followed by Andy Gelston leading her mare, Kelly, saddled, with boots backwards in the stirrups. Andy had contacted Debra a few days previously, and asked her to help him create an entry for the Old Home Day Parade. He learned that the theme for 2007 was "Patriotism and Honoring Those Who Serve."

When I spoke to Debra and told her what I had felt as I reflected upon that day, she said those were the very things they hoped to create in their presentation.

I was completely awestruck by the carriage of the couple, the statement they made and the fact that Andy was walking at all. On December 19, 2007, Andy had broken both legs in a private plane crash.

Debra was prepared to trailer Kelly down to the Mid-way Station for the parade, but Andy wanted to ride her. That he did, from four miles up Fay Brook Road. He changed into the suit and they entered the parade.

She said that Andy rode Kelly home, too, but he did so without changing again, just took off the suit jacket! It must have been quite a sight on Fay Brook Road, a suit-clad gentleman riding up through the hills. A real old-time Old Home Day!

I recently spoke to Debra’s mother, who said that Andy had already asked her what the theme for 2008 would be! This kind of thoughtful dedication and caring of our small community is the very thing of life that has kept Old Home Day alive for 115 years.

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