Parade Marshals: Jennifer Amores and her two children, Korbin and Violet are this year’s Spring Festival parade marshals. They were selected by the Spring Festival Committee to honor Jennifer’s husband, Sgt. Jason Amores of Lehigh, who was kill in Afghanistan in January. Photo by Mel Toadvine

The wife and two children of a U.S. Marine from Lehigh Acres, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on January 20, are the parade marshals Saturday when some 100 units start their trek down Homestead Rd.

Jennifer Amores and her son, Korbin, 9, and daughter, Violet, 3, will be at the beginning of the parade. A large photograph of Sgt. Jason Amores is expected to be mounted on the sides of the vehicle. He grew up in Lehigh and attended local schools where he met his wife. Stationed in Camp Pendelton, where the couple maintained a home, she has since moved back to Lehigh where she has several family members.

She told The Citizen she was honored that the community is paying tribute to her late husband in this way.

“He would have been very proud,” she said.

The annual parade, which is held on the last day of the festival, will begin at 11 a.m., but visitors to the parade usually come earlier just to get a place to sit or stand along Homestead Rd. Most bring lawn chairs.

Andy Reisinger

Andy Reisinger, chairman of the parade, said plans have been finalized and each participant will be assigned a position. Both Lehigh Senior High School and East Lee County High School will have bands marching in the parade.

The Lightning Marching Band will consist of 52 members and the East Lee County High School’s Jags will have 70 to 75 marchers, according to Carroy Bethea, the Jag’s band leader.

Local organization and churches have prepared floats and there will be lots of youngsters riding and walking in the parade representing different sports teams.

Reisinger asked those in the parade not to throw out candy to children along the route. He said clubs and organizations that are passing out candy or anything else should have volunteers walking along their entry and they can hand them out to youngsters along the route.

“Someone can be hurt if people on moving vehicles toss things out. Those who entered the parade agreed to those terms when they signed up and paid a fee to be in the parade,” Reisinger said.

Streets accessing Homestead Rd. will begin to close at around 9:30 a.m. and those who are entered in the parade must enter the staging area on S. Loop Drive off of Homestead beginning at 8 a.m. and register at the corner of Business Way by 9:30 a.m.

That whole area will be where the parade groups up and also where part of the judging will take place. A judges stand will be in front of SunTrust Bank and trophies will be awarded at the park later for best float and other categories.

The parade will enter Homestead Rd. from Stacey Blvd. and travel down Homestead Rd. to Arthur Ave., where it will break up. The parade usually lasts for two hours. The weather is expected to be ideal, so promoters say you may want to bring your sunscreen lotions.

Saturday is the last day of the nine-day annual event. Activities at Veterans Park begin at 12:30 p.m. with Ted and Katie, a local husband and wife team who sing at the festival each year. Later in the afternoon, a southern rock group will perform.

At 3:30 p.m., the Nowhere Band, which plays a tribute to the Beatles will be on the outside stage followed by The Detonators, a rock and blues band. More rock will be on the stage at 8 p.m. until the night ends.

And for the rest of the week and on Saturday all day, the midway will be open with lots of rides for the children and plenty of food vendors.

A complete schedule of events was published in last week’s Lehigh Acres Citizen. It is also on the Internet at Lehighacrescitizen.com, the community’s only online newspaper.