Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Things To Do In Lake Forest, Lake Bluff

LAKE FOREST, IL — Upcoming Memorial Day observances and parades on Chicago's North Shore are part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

In Lake Forest, a Memorial Day observance is planned for Market Square at 11 a.m., organized by American Legion McKinlock Post 264 in Lake Forest.

In Lake Bluff, a Memorial Day observance is planned for 9 a.m. at the gazebo on the Village Green.

But first, Post 264 is organizing volunteers for a Memorial Day flag raising at Lake Forest and St. Mary's Cemeteries. From 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, volunteers will place flags in front of all veteran grave sites.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is also holding a commemoration ceremony at 1 p.m. Sunday at the entrance to Fort Sheridan Cemetery.

On Tuesday, volunteers are due to meet again 9 a.m. to pick up the flags from grave sites.

Other events and parades in the area scheduled for this Memorial Day — Monday, May 29 — include the following:

• The Memorial Day parade in Waukegan begins at 10:45 a.m. at the corner of Washington and Genesee streets and heads to Veterans Memorial Plaza at the southwest side of the intersection of Washington and West streets.
• The Memorial Day parade in Winnetka begins at 10 a.m. at the corner of Glendale and Elm streets before heading east to Winnetka Village Green, 525 Maple St. for a ceremony.
• The 100th Memorial Day parade in Park Ridge begins at 10 a.m. at West Talcott Road and South Cumberland Avenue and ends at Hodges Park, 733 N. Prospect Ave.
• Local veterans posts, scouts and the Skokie Police and Fire departments' honor guards will hold a Memorial Day observance at 11 a.m. at Skokie Village Green, 5127 Oakton St.
• The Glencoe Historical Society and the village of Glencoe honor village residents who died in service in the country at Veterans Memorial Park, 299 Park Ave., east of the train station next to Union Church. In case of rain, the event will be moved to the Takiff Center at 999 Green Bay Road.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit North Shore 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 on the North Shore. In Lake Forest, Forest Park Beach opens for the 2023 season Saturday, and lifeguards will be on duty starting on Memorial Day. Townline Park Splash Pad in Lake Forest is due to be open with a new non-slip surface. And Blair Park Pool and Sunrise Beach in Lake Bluff also open Saturday.

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.