Memorial Day Parade Monday, May 25, 2026

Thank you for applying to be in the Blue Ash Memorial Day Parade! The 2026 parade will mark its 74th year in Blue Ash! The Blue Ash Civic League sponsors the Memorial Day Parade with technical support provided by the City of Blue Ash.

Our Memorial Day Parade is intended to:

• Provide community spirit and patriotism.
• Promote honor and remembrance for those that have made personal sacrifices to serve our country and preserve our liberties as the American People.
• Draw attention to the true meaning of Memorial Day as a holiday that honors our great heroes who have served and currently serve our country and community.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES:

The Blue Ash Memorial Day Parade promotes a family-friendly atmosphere that showcases elements of the Memorial Day theme and is appropriate for all ages. To meet this goal:

• Applications from parade units with themes that are consistent with the spirit and image of Memorial Day are highly encouraged.
• If your group would like to distribute items during the parade, ONLY the following items are approved: coins, tokens, beads, wrapped candy, and other non-perishable items/toys that are of a non-choking hazard to children. Items that your group is planning to distribute must be disclosed on the application and must be safe for spectators and other participants.
• As a green community, we will now be promoting a litter-free environment. No paper items may be distributed i.e. flyers, coupons, and/or literature. Other prohibited items include "silly string", water guns, water balloons and any other devices that propel water.
• All items for distribution must be handed to individuals from walkers and not thrown from vehicles.
• Parade units that include children must have adequate adult supervision.
• Applicants will receive e-mail notification of their acceptance.
• We encourage all groups to meet at a designated location prior to lining up for the parade to ensure that the entire group gets lined up together. We cannot assist or guarantee that your group will be able to find each other once you are in the line-up/staging area.

PARADE INFORMATION:

Start Time: The parade will start promptly at 10:15 AM. We encourage participants to enter the Line-Up Area no later than 9:45AM. The parade is held rain or shine.

Group Assembly: Participants should park and gather at UC Blue Ash. Once all members have gathered, the group should move as a unit to the vehicle or walker line-up locations.

Line-Up Entrances: The Line-Up Entrance for general participants is located at Reed Hartman Highway and Plainfield Road intersection. The Line-Up Entrance for Youth Organizations is located at the Plainfield and Cooper Road intersection. Due to road closures, access to the Line-Up Entrances will be easiest from the Ronald Reagan Highway/Plainfield Road area if possible. Participants coming from the north will encounter detours and road closures.

 

Parade Route: The parade route is approximately 1.6 miles long and mostly flat or downhill. The route begins at the intersection of Reed Hartman Highway and Cooper Road and proceeds to Monroe Avenue.

Ceremony: At the conclusion of the parade, we encourage units to attend the special ceremony held at Blue Ash Towne Square Veterans Memorial (at approximately 11:30 AM

VEHICLES AND FLOATS:

• Oversized vehicles which produce blind spots for the driver (i.e. Monster Trucks) must provide at least one spotter per side for safety purposes for a total of two spotters at minimum.
• All towing vehicles must properly secure their float with the safety chains and appropriate hitch lock.
• All vehicles must submit a CURRENT copy of their insurance with their Parade Application. Applications that do not meet this standard will not be considered.

ROAD CLOSURES:

• At the end of the parade route, all units will be directed on where to go. We highly recommend participants to look in advance for a route from downtown Blue Ash for ease of finding their way back.
• A map of the road closures and parade/ceremony details will be provided to you a few weeks prior to the parade if your application is accepted.

LIABILITY DISCLAIMER:

The City of Blue Ash and the Blue Ash Civic League do not provide liability insurance for the protection of groups, individuals, organizations, businesses, spectators or others who may participate in the annual Memorial Day Parade. In consideration of participation in the parade, the applicant and/or organization agrees to hold harmless and indemnify the City of Blue Ash and the Blue Ash Civic League, its officers, officials and members from any and all actions, causes of action, claims and demands for, upon on by reason of any damage, loss or injury, which hereafter may be sustained by participating in the Memorial Day Parade. Your completed parade application and participation in the parade is your agreement to the general rules, guidelines and liability disclaimer.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Organizations that are interested in being considered for Blue Ash Memorial Day Parade must fill out an application and send it in as early as possible. The application is mandatory in order to be considered for participation and is due by Friday, May 15, 2026. Completed application must be mailed/delivered, faxed or emailed to:

MAIL: Blue Ash Memorial Day Parade

ATTN: Susan Trammel

4343 Cooper Road Blue Ash, OH 45242

Fax: 513-745-8594

Email: strammel@blueash.com

 

Thank you for your interest!

The Blue Ash Memorial Day Parade Staff

Organization Name: Organization Address: