Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Things To Do In Town Of Smithtown

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

The 99th annual Smithtown Memorial Day Parade from noon to 1:30 p.m. May 29 is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

The parade will head westbound on Main Street to Singer Lane to Town Hall. The Smithtown Fire Department hosts the parade.

Other parades in the area are:

• Sgt. John W. Cooke VFW Post 395 Memorial Day Parade in St. James. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Starts at Lake and Woodlawn avenues.
• Donald C. Munro American Legion Post 944 Memorial Day Parade in Kings Park. 9 a.m. to noon. Steps off at RJO Intermediate School.
• Elwood/Commack VFW Post 9263 Parade. 10 to 11:30 a.m. Departs from Home Depot southeast parking lot; turns left onto Jericho Turnpike to Fred Amore Canon Park.

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

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.