The Westport Parks and Recreation Department announced today that the Grand Marshal for the 2025 Memorial Day Parade and Services will be the Honorable Judge Edward Karazin, Jr. The department also released the official Line of March for the parade and the program of services to be held on Veterans Green immediately following the parade on Monday, May 26, 2025.
About Judge Karazin:
Judge Karazin’s lifelong commitment to service—both military and civic—reflects the values honored on Memorial Day. Shortly after marrying in 1965, he entered the U.S. Army and was soon deployed to Vietnam as a civil affairs officer in Quang Tin Province. There, he served as a MACV advisor working in the Pacification Program. For his distinguished service, Judge Karazin was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross.
Following his military service, Judge Karazin returned home to pursue his passions for law and community. He served as both a lawyer and a judge, providing pro bono legal work for local veterans, and continues to support Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 399 in Westport. He has spoken regularly at schools about his military experience, leads the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Stamford courthouse, and is an active participant in veterans' events and local parades.
Memorial Day Parade and Services:
The parade will be held on Monday, May 26th, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The route begins on Riverside Avenue, continues east on Post Road East, to Myrtle Avenue, to Main Street, and ending at Parker Harding Plaza.
The Memorial Day Program will begin immediately following the parade on Veterans Green on Myrtle Avenue. In case of rain, the program will be held in the Town Hall Auditorium at 10:00 a.m