http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/11-98/11-12-98/a02lo010.htm Bad weather halts Veterans Day paradesNew Bedford to reschedule By David Rising, Standard-Times staff writer  NEW BEDFORD -- Downpours and high winds put an end to the city's Veterans Day parade before it started yesterday. The mayor's car was the only official vehicle on the parade route at 9:30 a.m., when the march was scheduled to begin. The mayor trolled Court and Union streets, telling the stalwart stragglers the parade was off. "The Veteran's Council canceled the parade because of the high winds, the possibility of tree branches coming down, the wet roads and the rain," said Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr. "It's just a bad day." According to Mark L. Baron, a local spotter for the National Weather Service, by midday, about ½-inch of rain had fallen, and winds had reached 45 mph.  "It's an impressive system for this time of the season, and there's another on the way," Mr. Baron said. By 10 a.m., not a soul remained on the parade route, and the stage set up outside Wings Court for speeches sat wet and abandoned. The mayor said he planned on meeting with the Veterans Council on Friday to discuss plans for an alternative salute to the city's veterans. "What we're looking to do now is an evening tribute at New Bedford High School auditorium. Three blocks from where the parade had been supposed to end, at the Cape Verdean American Veterans Association Hall, Sergeant at Arms Manuel Pina said he liked the idea of an alternate day to recognize veterans, and also agreed that yesterday's event should have been canceled. "They say the wind was 45 to 50 mph, it would have been terrible trying to carry the flags," the Korean War veteran said. "It was the right move to cancel it, but we were on our way. If they had said march, we would have marched. We've marched in the rain before." Lorraine Ramos, who served as a storekeeper in the Navy during the Vietnam conflict, said the Verdean Vets Hall still planned on its afternoon festivities of traditional food, dancing, and a live jazz band.  "There'll be a lot of people here," she said. "Some people don't get out too often, but this day they'll come out because they know everyone else will be here." Elsewhere in the area, the combined Marion/Wareham parade was also canceled, but the Fall River parade proceeded despite the weather.
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