Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Parades, Services In Northampton Twp.

NORTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, PA — The upcoming Memorial Day ceremony in Northampton Township is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Northampton Township Board of Supervisors and the Northampton Township Veterans Advisory Commission are inviting residents to come out for a Memorial Day ceremony at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 29.

The ceremony is at Robert H. Dembowski Jr. Veterans Memorial Park, right on the corner of Richboro Plaza at Second Street Pike and Newtown-Richboro Road.

There will be an 8 a.m. flag-raising ceremony by the Marine Corps League Patriot Detachment at the flag poles in front of the Northampton Township Administrative Building at 55 Township Rd.

The ceremony is expected to last 10 minutes.

Below are some other Memorial Day weekend parades and services throughout Lower Bucks County:

Warminster Township

• Join Warminster Township, VFW Post 6493, and your neighbors as we observe Memorial Day with our Annual Ceremony and Parade on Monday, May 29th. The parade will begin with a ceremony at 10:00 am in front of the Warminster Township Building (401 Gibson Ave.) before stepping off and heading down Henry Avenue, York Road, and Street Road, ending with a celebration at the VFW on Louis Drive. Portions of York and Street Roads and Henry Avenue will be closed between 9:00 am and noon.

Bensalem Township

• In Bensalem on Memorial Day, May 29, Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Eddington and Andalusia will lead a parade down Bristol Pike from the Suzuki Fun Center at 2639 Route 13 to Mill Park, the city line with Philadelphia. The parade is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

Morrisville

The parade will take place on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, beginning at 9 a.m. from the Presbyterian Church parking lot and conclude on Anderson Avenue with a small ceremony. This year we will have multiple marching bands including, Bag Pipes, The Fife, and Drum of Washington Crossing, Brass band, and our Morrisville High School. Multiple firehouses, emergency services, and community groups from our surrounding area will also be in attendance.

Memorial Day Celebration at Sesame Place

Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend at Sesame Place. Everyone will love the “C is for Celebrate” fireworks show on Sunday, May 28. Don’t miss photos with Elmo dressed in festive red, white, and blue all weekend at photos with Elmo and friends. Click here for a schedule of appearances. The event takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 27, with a fireworks show at 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 28.

Honoring Veterans

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

Memorial Day History

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.