So, is it actually Dot Day on Sunday without the namesake parade? Our answer: Of course! This weekend, many of us will observe the high holiday in backyard gatherings or by patronizing our favorite Dot eateries.

It’s worth recalling that the very first Dorchester Day observances back in 1904 featured lots of speeches and a military band, but no parade (See story, Page 19). In the years since that first modest gathering on the slopes of Savin Hill, the commemoration of Dorchester’s settlement in 1630 has waxed and waned in terms of participation and scope. Still, it’s fair to say that the last year or so has marked a nadir for the whole concept of Dorchester Day.

In addition to missing out on a second consecutive parade— a number of the attendant events that orbit the parade have also gone dark: the senior salute luncheon, the grand marshal’s dinner, Little Miss Dorchester, and the “race” for mayor of Dorchester, an honorary title that goes to the person who raises the most money for the parade committee’s coffers.

In the not-so-distant past, the United States Navy would order a warship to port in Boston to join in the celebration as a guest of honor.What’s lost by not staging the parade and its constellation of events? It’s hard to say with ironclad surety, but like most traditions, Dorchester Day is rooted in memory and nostalgia. And each year that it is not staged further erodes that foundation of sentiment.

For those who’ve watched paraders pass us by since we were in Pampers, it’s a day that feels special and familiar because of all of those Dot Day marches ahead of this one. For schoolkids and their slightly older siblings, the parade seemed synched specifically to mark the end of the school year and the unofficial launch of summer.

This is not meant as a critique of the decision to cancel this year. The parade organizers—all of them unpaid servants who do good work to stage the event annually— had to make a tough call in March, and did so with what was then the best guidance available. At that time, it seemed unlikely that parades would be permitted. The Pride parade downtown has also been pushed off to 2022.

But there’s a pang of remorse attached to this year’s omission. It will be 88 and sunny on Sunday. The city’s ballyards and beaches and beer gardens are swollen with patrons once again. The avenue beckons for horses and marching bands and bagpipes and steel drums and dragon dances.

After a long year of isolation and introspection, Dot Day ’21 could’ve been an epic release of energy and happiness— a uniquely Boston street party that might have eclipsed all that proceeded it. Alas, none of that is on tap.

It remains to be seen what next year might bring. Dorchester Day will survive and thrive again if enough men and women who are committed to making it a thing each year decide to make it a priority once again. In the meantime, this year we can at least celebrate together in greater numbers and — for those of us with the double-dose of vax— without the facemask.

Celebrate responsibly and make the neighborhood proud. Happy Dot Day!

– Bill Forry