Memorial Day Weekend 2024: Service, Events Around South Brunswick

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The upcoming Memorial Day service in South Brunswick is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

American Legion 401 will host their annual Memorial Day Service on Monday, May 27, 11 a.m. at the grounds of Post 401, 148 Major Road, Monmouth Junction.

Another event that residents will definitely be interested in is happening in neighboring East Brunswick.

The American Veterans Traveling Tribute (AVTT) has come to East Brunswick Community Arts Center and will be here through May 27. It was brought to East Brunswick by the VFW Memorial Post 133, in coordination with the Township.

The AVTT Traveling Vietnam Wall is an 80 percent replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Wall contains the names of U.S. Military personnel who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Accompanying the Wall will be Cost of Freedom tributes to every U.S. military action since World War I.

An opening ceremony was held on Thursday. The Wall will be open to visitors beginning Thursday, through Memorial Day, May 27.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

Spotswood Memorial Day Parade

The Spotswood Memorial Day Parade will be held Monday, May 27, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Middlesex Borough Memorial Day Parade

The borough will host a Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 27, 10 a.m. onwards, beginning at Victor Crowell Park.

Metuchen Memorial Day Parade

Metuchen's annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony will be held Monday, May 27. Parade will begin at 10 a.m. from American legion to the Plaza.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit YOUR PATCH 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 East Brunswick. The Crystal Springs Water Park will officially open on Saturday, May 25, for weekends only, until June 23. They will also be open on Memorial Day.

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.