Although heavy rain canceled several Memorial Day parades on Monday, the downpours ended just in time for Carbon County's largest line of march to go on as scheduled.

A four-division march featuring four full bands, military service color guards, fire departments with marchers and apparatus, high school groups, baseball and soccer players, dance groups and church organizations took about an hour to pass.The parade followed the traditional Memorial Day service in the borough, which was moved from Ludlow Park to the Diligence Fire Company because of the earlier rain.Between the service and the parade, the fire company dedicated a memorial consisting of a monument and three flagpoles in memory of fallen firefighters. Summit Hill Fire Chief Shawn Hoben and fire company member Robert O'Gurek unveiled the monument.An American flag was donated by Nate Krajcirik of Lansford.The main speaker at the service was Retired Army Lt. Col. Tom Frendak, who retired in 2015 after 22 years in the military.Frendak said, "My theme today is simply to remember. We come here not to mourn our fallen men but to praise and remember them."He dedicated the program to World War I heroes who served 100 years ago.He displayed a photo of his grandfather, who had served in World War I.His father and two uncles fought in World War II. He held up a photo of his father.He said his brother, Ted, entered the military and died in a training accident in North Carolina. He then showed a photo of his brother.The grand marshal for the parade was Bernard C. Markey of Summit Hill, a Korean War veteran.Participating in the parade and the service were the Panther Valley JROTC and the Panther Valley High School Band.Mayor Paul McArdle gave a reading of the empty table placed in memory of MIAs and POWs.Kiley Boswell, a Panther Valley High School senior, sang the national anthem.Charles Byers read the Gettysburg Address, Thad Karnish presented Logan's General Order and Maria Nace gave a presentation of "In Flanders Field."The parade got a thumbs-up from spectators.Tim Brisco of Walnutport said, "I'm glad it stopped raining. I come up here every year for the parade."Many youngsters waved flags along the parade route. Porches and fences were adorned with red, white and blue bunting and banners.One of the biggest attention rousers in the parade was the Civil War Unit Co. 81st Pa. Volunteers. The 10 participants, wearing Civil War gear, carried long rifles. They stopped at almost every intersection and fired the guns.Accompanying them this year was a dinosaur waving a small American flag."They're awesome," one young boy said to several others watching the parade.