Memorial Day 2023: Observances In Marlboro And Colts Neck

MARLBORO-COLTS NECK, NJ — The upcoming Memorial Day services in Marlboro and Colts Neck 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 Memorial Day events in Marlboro and Colts Neck on May 29 are the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 to May 29 this year.

Marlboro: There is a township ceremony at 10 a.m., May 29 at Veterans Memorial, 1979 Township Drive. The Marlboro High School Band will perform. Light refreshments will be served. Mayor Jon Hornik, honored guests and veterans will be in attendance.

Colts Neck: The township will have a "Touch of Americana" parade on May 29. The event starts at Town Hall, 1 Veterans Way, at 10:30. There will be a pause in the parade for a ceremony along the route at Memorial Cemetery, and the parade will end at Firehouse No. 2 on Conover Road for a township picnic. A shuttlebus will provide transportation along the route (no bicycles).

There will be antique cars, horses, military, bands fire engines and more. There are opportunities for youngsters to march with Colts Neck Sports Foundation teams and other organizations in the township, such as Scouting. Youngsters can also ride their decorated bicycle after the bicycle contest at 10 a.m.

As the national observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Marlboro and Colts Neck-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 Marlboro and Colts Neck.

• In Colts Neck, residents can enjoy the Sounds of Summer Concert Series, beginning 7 p.m. May 25, pondside at Town Hall.
• In Marlboro, the Farmers Market is a popular destination all summer and into fall. It opens June 4, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 440 Route 520.

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.