Long Branch celebrates Columbus Day with a parade through town as thousands turn out

There were concerns over the weather, cold one day, rainy the next, and last year it was rainy and cold.
But as it turned out, Sunday was a perfect day for a parade, and thousands turned out on the sidewalks to watch the attractions go by. Of course, the crowds included many kids with their bags waiting for candy to be thrown from floats and cars.
The parade had a new route this year, beginning at the Long Branch Middle School, headed up Bath Ave., to Broadway, towards the ocean, and then turned onto Morris Ave. where it ended by Tuzzio’s.
The Grand Marshal was Stanley Dziuba, Long Branch Office of Emergency Management Coordinator. Stan was honored for the amazing job he did during Superstorm Sandy. And, with the one-year anniversary of the storm coming up, there was no better choice for Grand Marshal.