Brighton will Host Annual Memorial Day Parade and Memorial Service

Memorial Day weekend – the first holiday weekend of summer, as it's called, is a few days away – a time for parades, picnics and perhaps a cottage-opening trip up north.

It's also a more solemn occasion for many families, as befits the name Memorial Day. Graveside visits, flag placements and memories of former service members are part of the late May ritual for millions of Americans.

In Brighton, there will be a Memorial Day Parade at 10 a.m. Monday. The parade starts at Brighton High School and continues down West Main Street to the Mill Pond, where the Veterans Memorial Rock sits.

The parade will include VFW Post 4357, American Legion Post 235, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and the Brighton High School Marching Band.

A Memorial Day Service will be held at the Mill Pond, complete with the National Anthem, a 21-gun salute, Taps and a wreath laying.

VFW President Dave Somerville said that while researching Memorial Day, he discovered that it was held at the end of May because springtime was the time to get the best flowers to lay on the graves of loved ones.

"I just think that's beautiful," he said.

"We must remember and acknowledge the debt we owe to these men and women. We must never take for granted their contributions and sacrifice," says a statement from Jason Allen of Traverse City, head of Michigan’s Veterans Affairs Directorate.

Immediately following the parade and ceremony at the Mill Pond, the will have its groundbreaking ceremony.