TRUMBULL COUNTY Labor parade planned for Niles

The city's parade celebrates local labor and other businesses.
By NICOLE HUGHES
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- The 14th Labor Community Parade, one of Ohio's few remaining labor-oriented festivities, will be held in the city.
The parade will take place at 10 a.m. Sept. 11, beginning at Niles McKinley High School. The route will take Federal Street to Vienna Avenue, to Robbins Avenue, through downtown to Main Street and back to Federal.
"The parade started in the mid-1980s," said Bob Miller, chairman of the parade committee. "It hasn't run every year, so this is the 14th parade."
There are only five or six Labor Day parades left in Ohio, he said.
"This is a tremendous labor-oriented valley," Miller said. "We wanted to have a day to showcase our people."
All are welcome to participate in the parade.
"We don't want people to think that they have to be a part of the labor industry to participate," he said. "We want everyone to be a part of the celebration."
This is the second year that the parade has been in Niles.
"The parade spent 12 years in Warren, but there were more people in the parade than there were watching it," Miller said.
"Niles has always been a good parade city."
Parade participants
There are many floats in the parade, along with clowns, marching bands, politicians, the Red Cross and other businesses and community services.
"People go all out for this," he said. "You name it, it's in the parade."
The parade grand marshal is Leo W. Gerard, the United Steelworkers of America international president.
"This is the first time we have had the international Steelworker president at the parade," Miller said. "Many steel workers don't even get to see him."
After the parade there will be refreshments at the shelter house at Waddell Park.
Gerard and state Sen. Eric Fingerhut of Cleveland, a Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, will be at the shelter to talk to those who attend.
Planning
The Trumbull County Federation of Labor funds the parade, and a committee of a dozen people plan for the event every year, he said.
"The parade is 9/11 and we start planning around 1/9," Miller said. "We talk about what we did wrong and what we can do better."
There is a lot of advertising involved, he said.
"It takes a hell of a lot of work to plan a parade," Miller said. "We have to get out and let people know what's going on, but we still have people that say they don't know when it is."
If a group wants to march in the parade, people should try to register by three to four days before the parade, Miller said.
"Sometimes we have people show up the morning of the parade to march," he said. "We find a place to fit them in."
To register or for more information on the parade, contact Bob Miller at (330) 824-3633.
nhughes@vindy.com