CAPE MAY, N.J. – Coast Guard Training Center Cape May will dedicate its final Sunset Parade of 2013 to the City of Cape May and its citizens Sunday at 8 p.m.
The Coast Guard and the City of Cape May have a long and beneficial history dating back to the early 1920s when the first Coast Guard air station was established in Cape May. Since then, the City of Cape May has supported the Coast Guard by providing education for Coast Guard children, ensuring free or discounted services for Coast Guardsmen and their families, and helping Coast Guardsmen and their families in times of need.
Sunset Parades are military displays of marching troops and the Coast Guard Recruit Precision Drill Team. More than 250 recruits will march in the parade and strike the National Ensign from the Parade Field at sunset. A small boat from Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Cape May will also be on display.
The gates of Training Center Cape May will open at 6:30 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to use this time for security screening, parking and seating. Guests should plan on being seated by 7 p.m. Sunset Parades are exciting and fun for the entire family; however, children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the ceremony.
The Coast Guard Recruit Precision Drill Team is the U.S. military’s only recruit precision drill team, and their performances include spinning rifles, complex facing and drill movements, and dangerous rifle tossing routines. The group performs their complicated and precarious routines without verbal commands or cues.
Visitors should expect increased security screening for the event, and guests are not permitted to bring bags of any kind to the seating area including purses, camera bags, and backpacks. Photography is permitted and encouraged, but cameras must be removed from their bag prior to arriving at the seating area. Guests are encouraged to leave bags in their vehicles during the Parade.
In the event of inclement weather, visitors may call Training Center Cape May’s base information line at (609) 898-6700 for cancellation information.
