By Kenneth S. Allen
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Everybody loves a parade, and that includes the staff at Windsor Run. In fact, they love a parade so much that Windsor Run sponsored this year’s Matthews Labor Day Parade.

And this was not just any parade. The Matthews Labor Day Parade, conducted as part of the four-day Matthews Alive! Festival, was the largest Labor Day parade in the Southeast.

“We had 20-plus floats, high school marching bands, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, beauty queens, local politicians— everything a smalltown parade should have,” said Sandy Marano, parade coordinator for the Matthews Chamber of Commerce.

First in line
There were more than  100 entrants total, and the parade took about 90 minutes from start to finish. Although it was a Labor Day parade, it took place on Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

At the head of the parade was the Windsor Run float, celebrating the D.A.R.E. program at area schools.

“We chose the D.A.R.E. program because it does so much good,” said Jennifer Phillips, Windsor Run community relations manager.

About 25 children from Matthews Elementary School (the main elementary school in the area) rode the float, waving to their friends and others arrayed along the route. And there were a lot of people to wave at—Matthews Alive! draws about 170,000 people over the four days.

Building a home
The staff at Windsor Run, as at all Erickson Retirement Communities, knows that a big part of the quality of life for their residents is to be part of a larger community. As Windsor Run continues to develop, it will seek ways to become more integrated in the Matthews community.

“We want to be part of the entire community, not just the part that focuses on retirees,” Phillips said. “That’s why we chose Matthews Elementary. It shows we are supporting people of all ages.”