The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake community is once again celebrating the red, white and blue at the 2023 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Community Flag Day Parade. 

The patriotic parade, originally scheduled for early June, was postponed by organizers due to the air quality index. It has now been rescheduled to start at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 6 on Route 50 in Ballston. 

This Flag Day celebration, now in its 22nd year, is proudly organized by the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Business & Professional Association. 

The popular annual event was originally founded in 2002, in the months following 9/11. O’Rourke Middle School teacher Gary Bynon brought the idea of having a Flag Day parade to local leaders, and his vision was supported by the community. 

The parade started off very small, but over the years has grown to be one of the area’s largest yearly events and a beloved tradition. Today, spectators can enjoy an hour-long parade with nearly 100 entries, as well as the Route 50 Mile road race before and a fabulous fireworks display after.  

“When we started it, we never imagined that it would last like this at all,” parade committee chair Rick Reynolds said ahead of the 2023 event. “We never imagined it would catch on and become so significant as part of this community.” 

Parade day brings great joy to lots of folks, including parade committee member Charles Morris. “It’s when you’re with the crowds, and you get to see the faces of the kids when the fire trucks go by,” he said.   

The Morris family and their business Morris Ford have supported the parade ever since its inception. “It’s an awesome event,” Morris said. “It’s more of a down-home, nostalgia-type parade.”  

The grand marshal of this year’s parade is the Knight family, who have owned and operated orchards in the area since 1907. Now in their fourth generation as local farmers, “They’ve been an integral part of this community forever,” Reynolds said, noting that the parade is celebrating not just the Knight family but the entire agricultural community. Leaders from the business community and the education system have also been honored throughout the years as grand marshals. 
 

Looking ahead, the committee aims to include some younger community members in leadership roles so they can continue presenting the parade for future generations to enjoy.
 

Anyone interested in learning more about the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Community Flag Day Parade can visit bhblbpa.com/parade.