It was West Hempstead's equivalent of a ticker tape parade only the Canyon of Heroes was Hempstead Avenue and the floats were mostly fire trucks.
The community joined the West Hempstead Westerners, the West Hempstead Volunteer Fire Department's motorized drill team, Saturday night in celebrating their recent New York State Championship with a festive block party and parade.
A horse provided by the New York State Equestrian Center in West Hempstead, led the parade, followed by fire trucks, police cars and other vehicles carrying the Westerners, the large collection of trophies they earned during the 2012 season, and teams from Roslyn, West Sayville and Islip, who came in second, third and fourth, respectively, in the state motorized tournament held on Aug. 18 in Main Transit.
The Oct. 13 parade started on Roosevelt Boulevard, traveled up Hempstead Avenue and turned down Maplewood Street. It ended outside the West Hempstead firehouse, where the 16 members of the winning drill team received a warm reception from their friends, family, neighbors, fellow volunteers and other fans. Confetti flew, "We are the Champions" played and they hoisted the state championship trophy high for all to see.
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