May 18th, 2014 Freddie Fixer Parade
Freddie Fixer 52nd Annual Parade Anniversary
Freddie Fixer and you together we are the community 52 years and growing!
“The Freddie Fixer parade is a time honored tradition in New Haven’s African-American community,” Hillhouse High School Principal and former- mayoral candidate Kermit Carolina said in a statement. “The event brings back some of my most fondest memories of childhood and adolescence while growing up in New Haven. ... The parade will forever remain a part of me and I’m eagerly looking forward to participating in this year’s festivities.”
One Of The Founding Members Of The Freddie Fixer Parade Organization, the late Edward “ED” Grant, In Addition To The Late Dr. Fred Smith, continues to be an inspiration to the true and intended purpose of the Freddie Fixer Parade. It was Ed Grant who fought hard to remind many of the citizens that although it is named the “Freddie Fixer Parade” it was founded on the basis of an ecology program. This is exactly what he emphasized.
Armed with the blueprint from the late Dr. Fred Smith, the late Edward "ED" Grant, the late Edna Baker-Carnegie and the late Charles Twyman, and the Redevelopment Renewal Project the founding members set out to encourage residents in rebuilding their neighborhoods because they were in such "Bad Shape." Those who needed assistance whether it was with painting, trash removal or with repairs, the ultimate goal would be to personify the “Fix-Up Idea.”
Ed Grant, along with Charles Twyman would travel through the neighborhoods with truckloads of bricks and shovels teaching residents how to lay down walkways for the elderly, planting gardens and cleaning playgrounds for children.
Unbeknownst to many, there was an uphill battle to obtain funds for this event because there was an all white Board of Alderman (Current Day Alders) representing the 30 wards in the City of New Haven, CT. Mr. Grant courageously requested funding anyway without the support of his colleagues. Miraculously, funding was approved by one vote, and he successfully secured a grant for $1,200.00, which was considered to be a substantial amount of money at that time.
Mr. Grant also spearheaded recycling efforts that to date are replicated by the City of New Haven’s Public Works Department and Yale University. This was in addition to his dedication to establishing programs that provided assistance for substance abusers and alcoholics, that extended as far away as England.
There are many names associated with the evolvement of the parade from a local to a national level. Names include, but are not limited to the following: Jimmy Mitchell, Frank Amado (Columbus Day Parade) Lloyd Davis (Washington, DC.,) Fredland Douglas, Bill Donahue, Mayors Dick Lee and The Late Former New Haven Mayor, Ben Delieto, Jeanne Hogan, John Solomaon, to name a few.
The current parade organizers are grateful to walk in the footsteps of the late Dr. Fred Smith, Ed Grant, Edna Baker-Carnegie, Charles Twyman, and all of the other founding members of The Freddie Fixer Parade.
Thanks For Your Contributions!
Freddie Fixer Parade
Sunday, May 18, 2014, 01:30 PM
Dixwell Ave beginning at MORSE STREET, HAMDEN, CT. 1:30 PM
The Parade will begin at 1:30 pm
Marching Bands
Drill Competiton
SATURDAY MORNING: MAY 17, 2014
* FREDDIE FIXER PARADE ANNUAL JAZZ BREAKFAST
A DONATION OF $10.00 Is Requested.
(FREE WITH MEMBERSHIP!)
Music Will Be Provided By: AIRBORNE JAZZ! (TENTATIVE)
For Tickets, Please Call 203-558-0066.
“Moving Forward Mayor’s Beautification Project and the Freddie Fixer Parade annual citywide cleanup.
May 10 is the date of the Mayor’s Beautification Project and the Freddie Fixer Parade annual citywide cleanup.
The cleanup is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning on Dixwell Avenue and Broadway. According to parade organizers, the effort involved all members of the community gathering brooms, rakes, shovels, trash bags, paint and paint brushes and other tools needed to clean up the streets. Along with cleanup, each year the committee selects a theme; this year’s is “Moving Forward.”
Website: www.freddiefixerparade.org
Phone: 203-558-0066
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/257753054394396/