Memorial Day Weekend 2023: 12 Things To Do In & Around Martinez

MARTINEZ, CA — The upcoming Memorial Day ceremony in Martinez is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Veterans Commission Memorial Day Ceremony is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year. The event starts at 9 a.m. Monday, May 29, with a short flag-raising ceremony at Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery on Carquinez Scenic Drive; at 10 a.m. the event moves over to Ignacio Plaza in front of City Hall, 525 Henrietta St. for a full ceremony with music and messages from local elected officials.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• Memorial Day Ceremony, 10 a. m-11 a.m. at The Grove in Clayton, 6100 Main St.: Please bring a chair and join the cities of Concord and Clayton, Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 1525 and its Auxiliary and Blue Star Moms Chapter 20, to Remember and Honor those who lost their lives in the service of our country. The honored Guest is Chuck Kohler, a Pearl Harbor Survivor.
• Walnut Creek's Memorial Day Ceremony, 10 a.m. Monday, May 29, in Civic Park. The ceremony begins with remarks from Mayor Cindy Silva and a keynote address by retired Army and National Guard helicopter pilot Patrick Leary. The commemoration ends with a procession across the street to the Veterans Memorial outside of City Hall with the playing of "Taps" and the lowering of the flags to half-staff. More info. All are welcome to attend; the event is not limited to Walnut Creek residents.
• Memorial Day Vigil, 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 29, Lafayette Hillside Memorial. All are welcome to attend. More info.
• Bay Point Memorial Day Service and Parade. 3105 Willow Pass Road, Bay Point; Memorial Service 9 a..m- 10 a.m.; Memorial Day Parade, 11 a.m. -2 p.m. More info.
• Memorial Day Ceremony at the USS Hornet, Alameda, 10 a.m.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Martinez cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial kickoff to summer in Martinez. Below are more ways to spend the weekend:

• Martinez Sturgeon host Dublin Leprechauns. Game starts at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 28, at 1204 Joe DiMaggio Drive, Martinez.
• Bay Area KidFest 2023, Saturday - Monday, Mt. Diablo High School, Concord.
• East Bay Regional Parks, from feeding the fish at the Crab Cove Visitor Center at Crown Beach in Alameda to enjoying hand-churned ice cream at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, there is plenty to do this weekend in our parks. Take a hike, go fishing, go for a swim — enjoy the start of summer!
• San Ramon Art & Wind Festival, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday at Central Park
• Reopening of The Wave water park, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday - Monday, The Wave Dublin
• Asian Heritage Festival Day, 11 a.m. Saturday, May 27, Downtown Event Center and Plaza, 3500 Capitol Ave. in Fremont.

The history of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Waterloo, New York, is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town’s observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.