Memorial Day 2023: Observances In Red Bank and Shrewsbury

RED BANK-SHREWSBURY, NJ — The upcoming Memorial Day services in Red Bank and Shrewsbury 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 solemn remembrances on Monday, May 29, are the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 to May 29 this year.

Services in the area include:

Red Bank: The borough's Memorial Day ceremony and placing of wreaths will take place on Monday, May 29, at 11 a.m. at Veterans Monument, 51 Monmouth St. Father Alberto Tamayo, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, will give the invocation. Mayor Billy Portman will be the master of ceremonies, with the Borough Council members in attendance, with Red Bank Elks Lodge #233. Former Mayor Pasquale Menna will make remarks. Keynote speakers are Sgt. Gerard D. Sclafani and Col. Bill Putnam. The Atlantic Watch, the Primary School Choir and other musical accompaniment will be offered.

Shrewsbury: The borough's Memorial Day observance is at 9 a.m. at Patriot Isle on Monday, May 29. Patriot Isle is at the corner of Sycamore Avenue and Route 35.

As the national observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Red Bank and Shrewsbury-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 Red Bank and Shrewsbury.

One sure sign of the new season is the opening of the Broadwalk in Red Bank, the car-free Broad Street plaza that offers dining and entertainment. The Broadwalk opened on May 15, with a ribbon cutting May 19 by the mayor.

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.