Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Ceremonies In Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The upcoming Memorial Day ceremonies in Mount Vernon are part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Mount Vernon Memorial Day Parade and the Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Memorial Day Commemoration are the highlights of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

On Monday, May 29, the city of Mount Vernon will be holding its Memorial Day Parade at 10 a.m. It will kick off at Park Ave. & 1st Street, turn right onto W. 3rd St., then turn right onto S. 4th Ave., continuing on Gramatan Ave., ending at Hartley Park.

Also on May 29, the Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site will be holding its annual Memorial Day Commemoration, with a ceremony starting at 11 a.m, followed by a guided tour of the historic cemetery, with a special salute to Ralph Panno, who served in the Navy during WWII, and was buried at St. Paul's in 2020. At 2 p.m., there will be a presentation by Ranger Michael Callahan about the history of repatriation and memorializing of American service members who died in foreign wars in the 19th and 20th centuries. More info.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• On Friday, May 26, the Westchester County Memorial Service will take place at 1 p.m. at the Lasdon Park Veterans Memorial.
• On Saturday, May 27, at 10 a.m., the Friends of the African American Cemetery will hold a Memorial Day ceremony to remember and honor those buried at the cemetery located at 215 North St. in Rye (adjacent to the Greenwood Union Cemetery). More info.
• The City of New Rochelle Veterans Advisory Committee will hold the Memorial Day Ceremony at Memorial Plaza (Memorial Highway & Main Street) at 10:30 a.m. on May 29. A Waterside Ceremony will follow at Hudson Park to honor those lost at sea.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Hudson Valley 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 the Hudson Valley. Below are more ways to spend the weekend:

• Rye: Playland Park is open for the season as of May 20.
• Croton-on-Hudson: Croton Point Beach pre-season begins May 27.
• New Rochelle: Glen Island Beach pre-season begins May 27.
• Westchester County: Golf courses are open. For more information, go here.
• Stormville: Stormville Airport Flea Market, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 27 and Sunday, May 28, Stormville Airport.
• Fishkill: SplashDown Beach’s Opening Weekend, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday through Monday, May 27-29, Fishkill.

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.