City to Honor Veterans Memorial Day Weekend

The city will celebrate Memorial Day with three events that will honor veterans' military service throughout the holiday weekend.

On Friday at 10 a.m., the Middle School Band will play at the Central Veterans Council’s “Symbolic Burial at Sea” service at Prescott Park.

At 10 a.m. on Monday, Navy veterans will gather at Albacore Park to honor the 129 sailors who lost their lives on the USS Thresher on April 10, 1963 a day after it was launched from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The Portsmouth High School Brass Ensemble will perform during the ceremony. Family members of the Navy sailors and officers who died in the tragic accident traditionally gather to remember their sacrifices.

Then at 1 p.m., the Central Veterans Council will hold its annual Memorial Day Parade that will feature the Portsmouth High School Marching Band and the Portsmouth Middle School Band. The parade route goes from the corner of Junkins and Parrott Avenues and ends at the South Street Cemetery.

The street closures will be from Junkins to Pleasant, Pleasant through Market Square to Middle Street to Richards Avenue and then into the South Street Cemetery where the parade ends. City officials and military dignitaries will make some brief remarks and the Portsmouth Police Honor Guard will fire a 21-gun salute.

Portsmouth City Hall, Portsmouth Schools, the Connie Bean Recreation Center, and Portsmouth Indoor Pool and the Portsmouth Public Library will be closed on Monday for the holiday. There will also not be any trash pick-up on Monday.