Central Avenue will be closed this afternoon for the Great Falls High homecoming parade and the memorial service for firefighter Michael Kunz.

The parade begins at 1:30 p.m.

Following the parade, Central Avenue will be closed for the memorial procession.

The Kunz memorial service begins at 3 p.m. at the Civic Center.

Capt. Mike Kunz died Sept. 20 after a prolonged illness, according to Great Falls Fire Rescue. He served 18 years with GFFR before retiring in 2021.

“Mike was a key player in various operations at the fire department. He also served as a member of the Montana State Hazardous Material Response Team. Mike’s positive attitude and work ethic was legendary among firefighters statewide. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Mike is survived by his wife Donelle, daughter Tia, son Taylor, and grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” GFFR said in a release last week.

The public can begin arriving at 2 p.m. and doors will open for seating in the theater at 2:20 p.m.

A reception will follow in the convention center.

At 2:10 p.m. a procession will be leaving from Fire Station 1 and will proceed to Central Avenue, continue west until Park Drive, and end at the Civic Center, according to the city.

The street in front of the Civic Center will be closed until 5 p.m.

Parking is limited. Great Falls Fire Rescue encourages those attending to plan on potential traffic delays due to the homecoming parade and traffic for the memorial service potentially overlapping.

Parking may be available at the following locations:

• Whitter Park on the south side (has 4 ADA spots)
• Margaret Park on the north side (has 6 ADA spots)
• Mitchell Pool Lot, accessed from River Drive (2 ADA)
• West Lot (accessed from River Drive behind the Children’s Museum)
• Limited lots by Great Falls Police Department
• Metered parking on Central Avenue and the other streets east of the facility