Memorial Day Weekend 2024: Newtown Remembers Its Heroes

NEWTOWN, CT — This Memorial Day weekend, American Legion Post 202 will once again honor their fallen comrades, culminating with a Ceremony of Remembrance at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument across from Edmond Town Hall.

The Newtown Woman’s Club will place flags at the monument on Friday, May 24, and American Legion members will decorate the monument with luminaries on Saturday afternoon, before the ceremony begins at 5 p.m.

Newtown High School Tri-M Club will be performing, along with vocalists and members of the Newtown High School band. American Legion member Samuel Grummons will be playing taps on the euphonium at the beginning of the ceremony. First Selectman Jeff Capeci is also scheduled to attend.

The luminaries will be lit at the conclusion of the ceremony, and re-lit Sunday and Monday evenings. Names of veterans who have passed away or personal messages will be printed on the luminary bags.

Parking will be available at Edmond Town Hall and on the street. Luminaries are available for purchase at any of the Legion's "pop up tables" around town. For more information, contact them at AmericanLegionNewtown@gmail.com or 203 577-956.

The ceremony at the monument in Newtown is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country. Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• Danbury's Memorial Day Parade steps off at 9:30 a.m. on Monday from in front of the Danbury Police headquarters. The march will be followed by a Rose Garden ceremony in front of Rogers Park Middle School.
• The Brookfield Lions Club is having its Memorial Day Parade on Sunday, May 26, at 2 p.m. Marchers step off from Brookfield High School, but don't park there: A shuttle bus from Center School will run from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. A memorial service in Williams Park is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.
• Ridgefield's Memorial Day Parade begins at 11:30 a.m. on Monday from Jesse Lee Church, marches down Main Street and ends in Ballard Park with a closing ceremony.
• In Wilton, the parade starts at 21 River Road at 10 a.m. on Monday and proceeds through Wilton Center, up Old Ridgefield Road to Ridgefield Road to Hillside Cemetery for a Memorial Service scheduled to begin around 11 a.m.

Hosted by the American Veterans Center, the National Memorial Day Parade returns to Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., on Monday, starting at 2 p.m. The parade will be broadcast live, followed by a televised program "Our Sacred Honor: An American Salute," airing on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CW stations nationwide.

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

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.