(5/26) The more things seem to change, events such as Sunday’s Memorial Day parade in Woodsboro serve as a reminder that some things stay the same.

It was a timeless slice of Americana straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting — antique cars and farm equipment, floats full of waving veterans, the local Boy Scout troop and a middle school marching band slowly making their way down Main Street, seemingly every home displaying the stars and stripes.

It’s been that way every Memorial Day weekend for as long as anyone can remember, and the people of Woodsboro wouldn’t have it any other way.

"This is a nice little town to have this," said resident Carroll Toms, who has been watching the parade for 60 years. "There aren’t very many towns left that have it. They always stick to it right here."

"Towns get too big and they forget what’s important," added his wife, Pam Toms. "That’s what’s the matter with the world."

Elizabeth Toms said the parade made her feel nostalgic for her childhood spent in Brunswick during World War II.

"Everyone was so congenial," she said. "You knew your neighbors and everyone helped each other out. And people knew how to live without. It was a different time."

Toms’ husband, Charles — a Navy veteran who served as a gunner on one of the boats that shuttled soldiers to the beaches of Normandy on D-Day — participated in the parade.

"They’re getting mighty scarce," she said of World War II vets. "But he does pretty good. He’s very spry. He’s still a military man, believe me. Anything to do with the military, it’s his cup of tea."

Jon Hildebrand, who moved to Woodsboro six years ago, said he’s glad to live in a town that honors the fallen soldiers, and tradition. Hildebrand said he looked for years for such a parade, and it wasn’t until he moved to Woodsboro that he realized it had one of the last around.

"I think it’s good for the kids especially," he said. "They don’t see it on TV at all, so they don’t understand it. Out here, it really sinks in."

The parade, the last of its kind in Frederick County, is hosted by the Glen W. Eyler Post 282 of the American Legion, which also hosts an open house afterward and serves refreshments to the community.

"It’s very generous, the post is," said Charlie Houston, who is active in the Sons of the American Legion. "They always give back to the community."