The parade started at 2 p.m., but the festivities kicked off much earlier. People began to filter into town around 9 am to set up various food booths selling drinks, pies, ham barbecues, hot dogs, pizza and snacks, and before long, central Loganton was bustling with activity.

Amongst the floats and firetrucks was a poignant drumline tribute in orange and black honoring the memory of 29 year old Evan Geisewite, a Sugar Valley resident who lost his life in a motor vehicle accident on April 9, 2025. Evan’s friend Blake Bergey brought together the drumline led by Evan’s mom Angie, and wife Amanda. His brother, uncle, aunt, cousins, friends, and schoolmates kept the beat, playing the most perfect cadence as spectators rose from their seats. Evan’s dad Matt and young son Parker followed along on a garden tractor, the toddler smiling and waiving at the crowd.

The annual tractor show at the corner of East Main Street and Bishop Street was a favorite stop for parade goers, where visitors could walk through the array of vintage and modern tractors on display and talk to some of their owners.

Immediately following the parade there was a Memorial Day service in the center of town.

Amber Morris/For The Express A drumline tribute to Evan Geisewite was a highlight of the parade.

The Sugar Valley Community Band provided the perfect backdrop for the event with patriotic songs including “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Loganton Mayor Ashleigh Shadle, Clinton County Commissioner Angela Harding, and Master of Ceremonies Scott Kemmerer, all spoke to the crowd focusing on what Memorial Day means to a small town like Loganton. Pastor Bradley Strange from the Loganton Wesleyan Church offered the invocation and benediction.

1st Sgt. Army Retired, John Wagner, Jr., placed the wreath in front of the Honor Roll at the Sugar Valley Armed Services Memorial, followed by the playing of Taps by dual trumpeters from the Sugar Valley Community Band.

The keynote speaker was retired Marine Sergeant Jeff Croak, Jr. who is the Assistant Director/Veterans Service Officer for the Clinton County Veterans Affairs Office. Sergeant Croak served from 2004 – 2015 and was deployed four times, including two tours of Iraq in 2006 and 2007, one in Afghanistan in 2012, and one in Bahrain from 2013 to 2014.

He looked at the crowd as he explained the mental tole the title of soldier carries with it, and how he uses his own past experiences to help others.

Amber Morris/For The Express Marine Sergeant Jeff Croak, Jr, Assistant Director/Veterans Service Officer for the Clinton County Veterans Affairs Office was the keynote speaker.

“We did it Veterans, we made it to the halfway point, to ‘Memorial May.’ For me personally, May is the toughest month to get through, and I know that rings very true for many of us — many of you.”

Sergeant Croak continued by reminding everyone what the holiday is really about. “Memorial Day isn’t like any other holiday. It’s not a day of celebration in the way you might celebrate other holidays such as New Year’s, Independence Day, or Veteran’s Day. Those days are a joyful celebration. I feel that Memorial Day is more of a humblesome celebration.”

“Yes, you may have picnics and gatherings, like on other holidays, but the meaning is far different,” he explained. “It’s a day for us Americans to think about those that came before us – the ones that didn’t come home — those who laid down their lives to ensure the person to their left and right each had a chance to come back home.”

“For those of us that came back, it is a day for us to remember those we lost on the battlefield,” he stated. “Honor their memory and their sacrifice, to make sure they did not die in vain, so their memory lives on through our thoughts, prayers, and stories.”

He finished by reminding those in the crowd to pay tribute to our fallen vets by pushing forward and getting through life day by day.

Amber Morris/For The Express The annual Memorial Day parade in Loganton always features a variety of classic cars.

“Just remember, we owe it to them to live a life worthy of the one they gave up. So, when we honor them, and remember them, don’t forget to live. We owe it to them to do just that — live.”