By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

WOONSOCKET — This year’s Autumnfest parade was all about memories, anniversaries and looking to the future.

Whether it was someone who witnessed the city’s famed autumn extravaganza for the first time or someone who’s been coming every year for the past three decades, Monday’s 10-division parade — one of the biggest Autumnfest parades in recent memory in terms of bands, floats and crowds — didn’t disappoint.
The parade is the culminating event of the Autumfest celebration, the city’s annual Columbus Day weekend festival that kicked off Saturday.
“I used to march in this parade when I was in high school,” said one woman from Blackstone, who now enjoys the parade with her own daughters — two toddlers who watched the spectacle from the comfort of their double stroller.
“I graduated in 1999, but I’ve always loved this parade so that’s why I still come,” she said.
With Autumnfest celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the parade exuded the spirit of the occasion with crowds of all ages lining the parade route two and, in some cases, three deep.
It was already a balmy 60 degrees when the parade kicked off from the Diamond Hill Plaza shortly after 9:30.
 The filtered sunlight, warm breeze and colorful foliage made for a postcard perfect morning for viewers and marchers alike.
“The weather was just right,” said Ashby Morales, 13, a ninth-grader and drummer in the the Woonsocket High School Band, which wowed the crowds.
Fellow band member, saxophonist Justin Dubois, an eigth grader, said this was his very first parade and that he was looking forward to marching in it again next year. “It was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to do it again.”
In honor of Autumnfest’s 30th anniversary, event organizars did something a little different this year. Instead of naming a parade grandmarshal like they have for the past 29 parades, organizers decided this year to pay tribute to former grand marshals going all the way back to the very first parade.
Many of those former grandmarshals rode on the first float of the parade yesterday. They included Bill Belisle (1983), Muriel Beaudet (1986), Roger Lapierre (1991), Roger Bouchard (1992), Clarice Czesmesia (1994), Francis Lanctot (1996),  Brenda & Ken Bianchi (1997), Roger Begin (1998), John Chan (1999), Robert Billington (2000), Noel Pincince (2002), John Gregory (2003), Raymond Bacon (2005), Gary McLaughlin (2006), Richard Lepine (2007).
Like every year, it was the bands and floats that really got the crowds cheering. And there were plenty of both this year.
This year’s headline band was the Tian Guo Marching Band, an international phenomenon existing in seven countries of the world. The first band was formed in New York City, in December 2005. Shortly after, branches formed in the Western U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and Europe.
Although members are ethnically and culturally diverse, the majority of performers are Chinese. The age range for the musicians is from 10 to 66 and each band has 100-300 performers. All musicians practice Falun Dafa, a self-improvement practice consisting of meditation, exercises and living according to the Universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.
Other bands included Bellingham High School, Blackstone-Millville Regional High School, Douglas High School marching band, East Providence High School Band, Hills-Mills Comedy clown band, Ichabod Crane New York Marching band, Lincoln High School Marching Band, Mount Saint Charles Academy Senior Band, Munroe Dairy Band, North Smithfield High School Band, Providence Brass Band, Rhode Island professional firefighters bagpipes and drums, Rhode Island Shriners ensemble, Royal Canadian Mounted Police band , St. Kevin’s Emerald Knights, Spirit of America fife and drum, Woonsocket High School band, Woonsocket Middle School band and Yankee Volunteers fife and drum.
Organizations with floats this year included Superior Cheer All Stars, Woonsocket Boys & Girls Club, Manville Boy Scout Troop Pack 1, Swords, Songs & Moor, Krylo Dance Studios, 2009 Calendar Firefighters, Knights of Columbus, Party Town, Haunted Labyrinth, Blackstone-Millville Athletic Association ,Cub Scout Pack 18 - Bellingham, Ocean State Dance, United Love, Mega War Winners.
A banner on the Krylo Dance Studios float read “Happy Anniversary Autumnfest- we’ve been with you from the beginning.” The float of pirates by Swords, Songs & Moor won the Judges Award. This year’s judges were Dr. Robert Gerardi, Marge Jacob, Noel Pincince and Linda Trudeau.
Also taking part in the parade were the Woonsocket police color guard, Elks and Emblem Clubs, Miss Rhode Island Francesca Simone of North Smithfield, Mrs. Rhode Island America Jacqueline Nardolillo, Veterans division, U.S.S. Saratoga museum, Woonsocket Cub Scout Pack 850, Brownie and Junior Girl Scout Troop 324.
Woonsocket’s Superior Cheer All Stars elicited cheers from the crowd as their float rolled by and the some of the bigest applause went to the legendary Providence dancing cop Tony Lepore who has been entertaining the streets of Providence since 1984.
“It’s a great parade and we come every year,” said Philip Cseay of Woonsocket who watched the parade from Social Street with his 5-year-old daughter Anyie.
Damon Ducharme and his step-daughter Destiny holds up four fingers when asked how many times she’s seen the Autumnfest Parade. “She loves the bands and the music,” Ducharme says. “We’ll be back next year for sure.”