Memorial Day 2023: Observances In The Manalapan Area

MANALAPAN-ENGLISHTOWN, NJ — The upcoming Memorial Day services in the Manalapan area are part of a nearly 160-year American tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The May 29 ceremony in Manalapan is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 to 29 this year.

Services in the area include:

Manalapan: Ceremony outside of Town Hall on May 29 at 11 a.m. The Township Committee and Manalapan Veterans Committee will be holding this event on the Walk of Honor.

Other events in the area include:

Freehold: Elected officials, residents and veterans of the armed forces will gather at Elks Point (where Routes 79 and 537 converge) at 8:30 a.m. on May 29 to honor those who died in service to the nation. Borough Councilman George Schnurr will serve as the master of ceremonies for the Service of Reflection.

The 149th Freehold Memorial Day Parade then starts at 9:45 a.m. at the corner of Brinkerhoff Avenue and West Main Street. The parade will begin with a flag draped caisson at 9:45 a.m., followed by the rest of the parade at 10 a.m. The parade will proceed down Main Street to Broadway and will take a left onto Murray Street. It will then take a left onto Schanck Street and proceed up to Monument Street were it will take a right turn before taking a left into the parking lot of the Monmouth County Courthouse.

As the national observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Manalapan-area 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 in the Manalapan area.

• For the gardeners among you, the Manalapan Environmental Commission will have a native plant sale. Adding more native plants to your yard or patio is a great way to make a big difference for the environment. Also at the sale will be demonstration gardens, exhibits on a variety of environmental topics, nature murals and a playground. The sale is June 3, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, at the Manalapan Recreation Center, next to Dreyer Pavilion and the Eco Patio.

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, N.Y., 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.