Memorial Day Weekend 2024: 14 Ceremonies, Concerts Around Towson

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — The upcoming Memorial Day ceremonies in Baltimore County are some of the annual traditions honoring military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Here are 14 Baltimore County Memorial Day events for the three-day weekend, which runs from Saturday, May 25 through Monday, May 27. Click on any event for more details.

Catonsville

• Baltimore National Cemetery Flag Placing (Friday, May 24 at 5:30 p.m.)

Dundalk

• Live Music At Phillips Inn (Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25)
• Live Music At Gray Manor Inn (Sunday, May 26 at 4 p.m.)

Edgemere

• Live Music At Row Boat Willie's (Sunday, May 26 at 1 p.m.)
• Fort Howard Veterans Memorial Park Ceremony (Monday, May 27 at 11 a.m.)

Essex

• Live Music At The Crazy Tuna Bar & Grill (Friday, May 24; Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26)

Middle River

• Live Music At Bowleys On The Bay (Friday, May 24; Saturday, May 25; Sunday, May 26 and Monday, May 27)
• Crushed Glass Art Class At Potomac Pizza (Sunday, May 26 at 3 p.m.)
• Holly Hill Memorial Gardens Service (Monday, May 27 at 9 a.m.)

Owings Mills

• Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery Observance (Monday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m.)

Perry Hall

• Live Music At Looney's Pub (Sunday, May 26 at 5 p.m.)

Sparrows Point

• Live Music At Tiki Lee's Dock Bar (Friday, May 24; Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26)

Timonium

• Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens Ceremony (Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m.)

Towson

• Dogtopia Pet Party With Photos And Festive Treats (Monday, May 27 at 7 a.m.)

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.