The City of Blue Ash will host its annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony on Monday, May 25, 2015. The event is also sponsored by the Blue Ash Civic League.

The parade will begin on Reed Hartman Highway and Cooper Road at promptly 10:15 AM. The parade will proceed east on Cooper to Kenwood, south on Kenwood to Hunt, east on Hunt and end at the Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park on Blue Ash Towne Square. Over 55 groups will participate in the parade, which range from military and non-profit organizations to local businesses and community groups. The Cincinnati Warbirds are also anticipated to perform a flyover during the parade, weather dependent.

A special ceremony will take place after the parade at approximately 11:30 AM. Colonel Donald C. McGraw, Jr. will be the keynote speaker at the ceremony. Colonel McGraw spent 14 months in 2005 and 2006 as the Director of Operations, CJ-3, for Combined Forces Command—Afghanistan and spent the remainder of his commissioned service as the Director for Afghanistan Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Dozens of local dignitaries are expected to attend the ceremony as well.

In order to accommodate the staging area, the following road closures and detours will be in effect starting at 5:00 AM Monday. Traffic will resume as soon as the parade progresses through the route.

• Reed Hartman Highway will be closed between Plainfield and Cooper Roads.
• Eastbound traffic on Cooper Road will be prohibited between Plainfield Road and Reed Hartman Highway.
  • The remaining section of Cooper Road between Reed Hartman Highway and Hunt Road will be closed as the parade progresses into downtown Blue Ash.
  • Access to Sycamore Trace neighborhood will be open to local traffic only via Locust Lane off Plainfield Road. There will be no access to/from Sycamore Trace Ct. at Reed Hartman Highway until the staging area has reopened to traffic.
  • All traffic wishing to access the Hospice facility must enter via the Malsbary Road entrance.

The Blue Ash Police Department will be on site at several key traffic points along Reed Hartman Highway, Cooper and Plainfield Roads to direct and maintain traffic flow before and during the parade.