Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Things To Do In Commack

COMMACK, NY — The upcoming Memorial Day service/parade in Commack is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Elwood/Commack VFW Post 9263 Parade, at 10 to 11:30 a.m., is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year. The parade departs from Home Depot southeast parking lot; turns left onto Jericho Turnpike to Fred Amore Canon Park.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• 99th Annual Smithtown Memorial Day Parade. Kicks off at noon. Heads westbound on Main Street to Singer Lane to Town Hall.
• American Legion Huntington Post 360 Parade. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Departs Huntington Post Office parking lot on Gerard Street; left on West Neck Road; left on Main Street (Route 25A); heads east on Main Street to Stewart Avenue.
• Greenlawn Fire Department Parade. 9 to 11 a.m. Departs at East Maple Road and Broadway; south on Broadway Greenlawn to Memorial Park at intersection of Broadway Greenlawn and Pulaski Road.
• Centerport Fire Department Parade. 10 a.m. to noon. Departs Centershore Road/Harrison Drive; left on Mill Dam Road; right on Prospect Road; right on Little Neck Road; ends at Park Circle Memorial.
• Knights of Columbus #6893 in East Northport. 12:15 to 1 p.m. Departs IGA parking lot (Larkfield and Clay Pitts roads); heads north on Larkfield Road to John Walsh Park.

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

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.