Memorial Day Weekend 2024: Events, Parades Around Naugatuck

NAUGATUCK, CT — The upcoming Memorial Day parade in Naugatuck is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Naugatuck Memorial Day Parade on Monday is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 25-27 this year.

The parade will step off from North Main Street at 9:15 a.m. and end at the Town Green. There will be a solemn ceremony at the gazebo on the Town Green immediately after the conclusion of the parade. More information is available here.

The parade route in Naugatuck is set as follows:

a. From North Main Street, Union City (vicinity of the Union Street intersection) to the intersection of Calvin Street.

b. Left on Calvin Street to the intersection of High Street

c. Right on High Street to the intersection of Oak Street

d. Right on Oak Street to the intersection of Maple Street

e. Right on Maple Street to Old Firehouse Road

f. Left on Old Firehouse Road to the intersection of Rubber Avenue

g. Right on Rubber Avenue to the intersection of Church Street

h. Right onto Church Street to the intersection of Division Street

i. Left onto Division Street to the World War I monument

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• Derby-Shelton Memorial Day Parade
• Orange Memorial Day Parade And Ceremony
• Memorial Day At The Beardsley Zoo
• Dockside Brewery's Memorial Day Event

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Naugatuck 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 Naugatuck, and residents can enjoy a number of outdoor activities in and around town if the weather allows for it.

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.