Memorial Day Weekend 2024: See Ceremonies, Parades Around Morris Co.

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Upcoming Memorial Day services and parades in Morris County are part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, which is May 25-27 this year, Patch made sure to list the events scheduled in some of our local towns to honor those veterans.

The county will host a ceremony on Wednesday, and also honor 15 local veterans with Distinguished Military Service medals at a ceremony on Court Street in Morristown beginning at noon; the event will be live streamed on Facebook.

Below are some other events and parades nearby to salute the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice, which are arranged by date.

Saturday, May 25

Washington Township

The recreation department and American Veterans Association of Washington Township Post 1776 will hold a ceremony on Saturday at the Veteran's Memorial, with Lt. Colonel William Carroll as keynote speaker.

• Saturday, May 25 at 12 p.m., at Rock Spring Park, 35 East Springtown Road, Long Valley NJ.

Morris Plains

The borough's ceremony begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Roberts Garden (corner of Glenbrook Road and Mountain Way). Members of the Morris Plains VFW Watnong Post #3401 and Denville American Legion Post 390 will conduct the memorial service, followed by remarks by guest speaker Jack Haren, member of Morristown American Legion Post 59.

The 38th annual Memorial Day parade begins at 9:30 a.m. near Roberts Garden, and will end at VFW Watnong Post #3401, 45 Tabor Rd, Morris Plains.

• Saturday, May 25 beginning at 9 a.m. near the intersection of Glenbrook Road and Mountain Way.

Monday, May 27

Parsippany-Troy Hills Township

A ceremony takes place beginning at 10 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, which is located at Route 46 East and Vail Road.

The parade starts on North Beverwyck Road at 12 p.m. and will proceed to a reviewing stand, where groups may present a routine, song, or demonstration.

• Monday with a ceremony at 10 a.m. and a parade at noon

Mendham Borough

The borough will hold a Veterans Remembrance Ceremony and wreath-laying, with Major Sean Lynch of the U.S. Marine Corps as guest speaker.

• Monday at 10 a.m. at Borough Park - Veterans Memorial (corner of Mountain and Park Avenues)

Chester Borough and Chester Township

Chester Borough and Chester American Legion Post 342 will hold a procession and commemoration on Main Street, to the Larry Maysey Memorial. The names of all Chester residents who died as active service members will be read.

• Monday at 11 a.m., beginning at Municipal Field (155 Main Street) and ending at Memorial Park (86 Main Street). In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at the Chester Volunteer Fire Company.

Morristown and Morris Township

Morris Township's annual service begins at 10 a.m. in front of the Municipal Building (50 Woodland Avenue), followed by the parade to the Morristown Green.

There will also be a service on the Morristown Green (Park Place, Morristown) at 11 a.m. when the parade concludes.

Residents are also invited to visit local memorials and lay wreaths with the Memorial and Veterans Day Association of Morristown and Morris Township, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Monday at the township Municipal Building. Transportation will be provided and refreshments will be served.

• All events take place on Monday. Parade takes place at approximately 10:30 a.m.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit local 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.

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.