Temperatures are set to drop again and there may be some rain this weekend, but the annual tradition of honoring those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country will not be interrupted as more than a dozen parades and celebrations throughout Hampshire and southern Franklin counties are set to take place throughout Memorial Day weekend.
Amherst
Starting at the intersection of Spring Street and Boltwood Avenue, Amherst’s procession will step off at 9:30 a.m. Monday. The parade route will travel up South Pleasant Street and finish at the War Memorial Pool in front of Amherst Regional High School.
At the memorial pool, guest speakers and a performance by the Amherst Chorale will take place as the family of Stephen H. Barton is awarded the Massachusetts Medal of Liberty, a governor-issued recognition of those who have died in service.
Belchertown
On Monday at 10 a.m., paradegoers will form at the Town Hall parking lot at 2 Jabish St. and make their way around the Town Common where a ceremony will take place. Prior to that event, there will be a Salute to the Fallen at South Cemetery at 8:30 a.m.
The community is also invited to attend the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Quabbin Park Cemetery on Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon. Refreshments will be served at 10 a.m., and the march begins at 11.
The ceremony will feature a performance by the Belchertown Community Band and will include a special focus on the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. Since 1947, Quabbin Park Cemetery has served as the gathering place for Memorial Day services honoring the four lost towns of the Swift River Valley.
The event is being put on by the Friends of Quabbin, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the Veterans Councils of Belchertown and Ware. The cemetery is located off Belchertown Road (Route 9) in Ware, across from the East Entrance to the Quabbin Reservoir Park.
Chesterfield
At 11 a.m. on Monday, paradegoers will gather next to Town Hall, 403 Main Road.
Cummington
At 9 a.m. people will gather in the West Cummington Cemetery on Walker Road, followed by a memorial ceremony in the Community House, 33 Main St.
Easthampton
At 10:30 a.m. Monday, Easthampton’s parade will line up on Clark Street and make its way to the Veterans War Monuments on Park Street where a ceremony will take place.
Goshen
Goshen’s parade kicks off Monday at 10 a.m. The parade starts in the town center, finishing at the Goshen Cemetery on Mollison Hill Road.
Granby
On Monday at 9 a.m., paradegoers will gather at the American Legion Post 266, 74 Pleasant St., and make their way to the Veterans Memorial in the heart of town where a ceremony will take place.
Hadley
Sunday will open with wreathe-laying and color guard salutes in Hadley’s various cemeteries: 11:15 a.m. in Russellville Cemetery, 11:30 a.m. in Plainville Cemetery, 11:50 in the Olde Hadley Cemetery, 12:15 p.m. in Hockanum Cemetery, 12:40 p.m. in Holy Rosary Cemetery, 1:10 p.m. in the North Hadley Cemetery.
Then the parade steps off at 2 p.m., beginning at the American Legion, 162 Russell St. Those attending are advised to use the Hopkins Academy parking lot at 125 Russell St. Parade vehicles will line up at 1 p.m., and parade walkers at 1:15 p.m. The parade travels down Route 9 to the town common on West Street.
Refreshments will be provided at the legion following festivities.
Hatfield
On Sunday at 12:30 p.m., a parade will step off at the American Legion Post 344, 1 Prospect St., and make its way to Town Hall for a ceremony.
Huntington
On Monday beginning at 8:15 a.m., the town’s parade will begin at Pettis Field on Mill Street and make its way to the town common for a ceremony.
Northampton
At 10 a.m. on Monday, paradegoers will make their way through Florence’s main artery, from Trinity Row to the Park Street Cemetery where a ceremony will be held, and the Medal of Liberty will be issued to the family of William J. O’Brien.
On Sunday at 1 p.m., a ceremony will be held at the Leeds Elementary School, 20 Florence St.
Pelham
The town will honor the fallen at the Quabbin Park Cemetery on Belchertown Road in Ware beginning at 10 a.m. (see Belchertown section for details)
Plainfield
On Monday at noon, baked ham, beans, coleslaw pie and dessert will be served in Town Hall, 348 Main St., followed by a march to the Hilltop Cemetery for graveside ceremonies.
Ahead of lunch, Soular Eclipse will perform a free show from 11 a.m. until noon, and will perform light R&B favorites, some jazz and features Plainfield’s own Joannie Timberlake on multiple woodwinds, including saxophones and flute. The performance will also take place in Town Hall.
South Hadley
On Monday at 8:45 a.m., a ceremony will take place at the Civil War memorial in the heart of The Village Commons, 20 College St.
Immediately following, participants will head to Town Hall, 116 Main St., for the day’s main program at 10 a.m.
In the spirit of America’s 250th Anniversary, the theme of the event will be, “From Lexington to Today — 250 Years of Service and Sacrifice.” The ceremony will focus on honoring South Hadley’s fallen and missing across all eras, and highlight the town’s role from the founding of the nation to the present.
Westhampton
On Monday at 10:45 a.m., the parade will step off on South Road in front of the Veterans’ Memorial. Children will carry bouquets to the graves of veterans who are buried in town. A ceremonial flag raising will take place at 11 a.m. led by Westhampton Cub Scout Pack 209 and Boy Scouts Troop 209. A luncheon will be held at the Westhampton Church afterward and the Blacksmith Shop will be open for visitors from 1 to 3 p.m.
An “all comers” softball game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Westhampton Elementary School.
Whately
The annual Memorial Day ceremony coordinated by the Whately Grange will be held on Sunday, May 24, beginning with a church service at the Whately Congregational Church at 10 a.m. The parade, led by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, will begin immediately after the church service. Owners of antique cars, trucks and tractors are invited to participate, and are advised to congregate at the church. This year’s ceremony has been dedicated to the memory of the late Jim Ross, U.S. Air Force veteran, who worked to improve the town’s war memorial site and update its list of veterans. Soloist Dusti Dufresne will sing “God Bless the U.S.A.” and the VFW will demonstrate the proper way to fold a flag. Jane Banash, Whately Grange member, will speak about nurses who served our country during war. After the ceremony, the Whately Historical Society’s 2026 exhibit, “Whately’s Great River,” will be open.
Williamsburg
At 1 p.m. on Monday, paradegoers will make their way from the Old Fire Station, 16 South Main St., to Veterans Memorial Park for a ceremony.
Private First Class John W. Kocienski, a Polish immigrant and Haydenville resident, will be honored as the first soldier from Hampshire County to give his life on the battlefields of France in World War I.
Worthington
At 8:30 a.m. on Monday, a ceremony will be held at the Worthington Memorial across from Town Hall, 160 Huntington Road.
