When Memorial Day was established in 1868 after the Civil War, no specific observance was prescribed or recommended other than decorating the graves of those who died in defense of the country — hence its original title of “Decoration Day.”
But year after year communities make ceremonies of their own — whether with a lunch, a baseball game, parades, or services with bugles and three volley salutes, readings, and moments of prayer to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their life for the cause of freedom, democracy and the United States.
Now that the graves of service members have been decorated over the past few weeks, with flags beside each of their graves, communities are ready to remember this weekend with a slew of parades, services, and other events taking place throughout the Pioneer Valley.
The South Hadley American Legion and Friends of the Holyoke Mountain Range will hold a B-24 Remembrance Ceremony on Friday at 6 p.m., next to the Summit House at Skinner State Park, 10 Skinner State Park Road in Hadley.
The ceremony will include a military honor guard, veteran speakers, wreath laying, rifle salute and the sounding of “Taps.” The event will be held rain or shine.
The event will honor members of a Westover-based air crew who lost their lives in a B-24 crash in late May 1944 on the South Hadley side of Mount Holyoke.
The town’s Memorial Day parade forms at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Police escorts will lead veterans, members of the Fire Department, antique cars, Select Board members, local politicians and several other organizations and businesses who will make their way from the town’s Senior Center and library, west down Russell Street past the town’s center, and down to the north side of the West Street common.
Marchers will step off at 9 a.m. on Monday, beginning at the Granby American Legion Post 266, and ending at the Granby Veterans Memorial where a ceremony will be held.
From The Legion, the parade will take a left out of the parking lot toward the Carnegie Library. The parade will pause for a moment to place a wreathe on the boulder by the library.
There will be left handed turn onto Library Lane, and another left onto Center Street, circling back to Route 202. Marchers will continue along Route 202, head onto North Street, with the final stop at the veteran’s memorial.
As the country celebrates 250 years, so does Southampton, and the town will honor the country’s fallen soldiers with a parade on Monday at 9 a.m.
Marchers will line up at Norris School and continue down College Highway, making a stop at the cemetery before ending at the Town Hall parking lot, where a ceremony will take place on the lawn.
Easthampton will hold its Memorial Day event on Monday, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Marchers will make their way from Clark and Cottage streets, where the town’s parade starts, to Park Street next to the Emily Williston Library. A ceremony will take place at the library by the Park Street Veterans Memorial.
Two Medals of Liberty will be issued to the families of Donald Ashton and George Lapan, two Vietnam soldiers who died in action.
In attendance will also be state Sen. John Velis, who will share his reflections, and state Rep. Homar Gomez, who will deliver the Memorial Day Proclamation. The morning’s master of ceremonies will be Easthampton Veterans’ Service Officer Tom Geryk.
At 10:45 a.m. on Monday, community members will meet at the town common for the raising of the flag and recitation of both the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem. Then a parade will form en route to the cemetery.
Organizers welcome classic cars, and participants are invited to decorate bicycles and strollers with patriotic symbols and colors.
On reaching the cemetery, elementary students will decorate soldiers graves with flowers brought from home. There will be additional presentations, and the observance will conclude at about noon.
At noon, participants are welcome to return to the Town Center for a picnic lunch in the church parking lot, priced at $8 for adults, and $4 for children under 10. Those who wish to attend the picnic are asked to call 413-527-4204.
After lunch, a softball game will be held at Westhampton Elementary School while the The Blacksmith Shop Museum is also open for tours.
A procession will form and step off at 9:30 a.m. Monday, beginning at the Town Common, and ending at the War Memorial Pool where a ceremony will take place.
On Sunday, a parade will step off at 12:30 p.m., beginning at the town’s American Legion. The guest speaker at the ceremony will be retired commander Cindy Lacoste. In the event of rain, the parade will take place in the Hatfield Elementary School.
The War Memorial Building will host this year’s ceremony, which kicks off at 10 a.m. and will feature Holyoke native and retired Tech. Sgt. Peter Tallman as keynote speaker.
In the morning, Post 351 will host a breakfast from 8 until 10 a.m. Later on, at noon, the American Legion Post 325 will host a lunch beginning at noon until 2 p.m.
On Sunday at the Leeds Elementary School, community members will come together at 1 p.m. for the unveiling of a monument to honor Donald M. Ducharme and Donald R. Smith, who were both killed in action and were Leeds natives.
Northampton’s parade will line up Monday at 9:30 a.m., and will make its way from Trinity Row in Florence, to the Park Street Cemetery. During the ceremony, the Medal of Liberty will be issued to the family Donald Ducharme.
A wave of ceremonies will pass through the hilltowns throughout Monday’s holiday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Worthington at the memorial across from Town Hall. Then at 9 a.m. in the West Cummington Cemetery.
At 9:30 a.m. celebrations will take place Cummington at the Community House.
At 10 a.m., the Goshen Cemetery will hold a service, followed by an 11 a.m. celebration in Chesterfield’s memorial park, then a 1 p.m. service to be held in Plainfield’s Hilltop Cemetery.
At 11 a.m. in the Plainfield Town Hall, Soular Eclipse will perform a free show. The group is supported in part by the Plainfield Cultural Council, and will perform light R&B favorites, mixed with some jazz, and will feature native Joannie Timberlake on multiple woodwinds, including saxophones and flute.
Afterward, at noon, the Plainfield Historical Society host its traditional luncheon featuring baked ham, beans, coleslaw, pie for dessert. A pie auction will follow the lunch before the Plainfield parade kicks off, followed by the parade to the cemetery.
The town’s Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony takes place Friday, May 23rd, beginning at 6 p.m. The parade forms on School Street in front of the Town Offices and the Veterans Memorial. After a brief ceremony there, the parade will step off and proceed down South Main Street to Riverside Cemetery where the ceremony takes place. The parade reforms and marches back to the center of town afterward.
In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony would instead be held in the Sunderland Elementary School gymnasium at the same time.
Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.
