Memorial Day Weekend 2024: Events, Parades Around Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Memorial Day weekend is nearly here, and while many think of it as the start to summer fun, it has a more solemn purpose: to honor those who sacrificed their lives in military service for the United States.

Residents in the Toms River area can pay homage to fallen members of the U.S. military at the 90th annual Memorial Day parade sponsored by George P. Vanderveer American Legion Post 129, part of the country's nearly 160-year.

Participants will gather on Highland Parkway, near The Office Lounge, at 9 a.m. and the parade steps off at 9:30 a.m. down Main Street to Washington Street. The parade finishes at Toms River's Town Hall, 33 Washington St., where there will be a ceremony held.

In addition to Monday's ceremony, there is a memorial service scheduled for noon Sunday at Ocean County Memorial Park, 1722 Silverton Road, Toms River, also hosted by American Legion Post 129.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit cemeteries in and near Toms River and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

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.