Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Things To Do In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — The upcoming Memorial Day services/parades in Greenwich are part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

There are several events taking place in town over the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

Cos Cob Ceremony

On Saturday, May 27, at 10:30 a.m., Cos Cob VFW Post 10112 will hold a short ceremony near the memorial on Strickland Road next to the Mianus River Boat & Yacht Club across from the Greenwich Historical Society.

Byram Veterans Ceremony

On Sunday, May 28, at 1 p.m. the Byram Veterans Association will host its annual parade and ceremony starting at their clubhouse, 300 Delavan Ave. Hot dogs and refreshments will be served immediately after the ceremony.

Glenville Parade

The annual Glenville parade organized by the Glenville Volunteer Fire Company will begin at 5 p.m. on May 28.

Indian Harbor, Byram & Old Greenwich

On May 29, at 8 a.m. the American Legion Post 29 will hold its annual memorial service by the water at Indian Harbor Yacht Club. A Byram Veterans Association ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at the memorial grove in Eugene Morlot Memorial Park, and the annual parade in Old Greenwich will take place from the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department also at 10 a.m.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• Norwalk Memorial Day Parade - May 29 at 10 a.m.
• Westport Memorial Day Parade - May 29 at 9 a.m.
• Darien Memorial Day Parade - May 29 at 10 a.m.
• New Canaan Memorial Day Parade - May 29 at 9:30 a.m.
• Stamford Memorial Day Parade & Ceremony - May 28

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

Greenwich Jim Fixx Memorial Day Races

On May 29 at 8:15 a.m., the 5K race will start on Greenwich Avenue at the intersection of East Elm Street, and the course runs through streets in Central Greenwich, including Bruce Park, and finishes on the track by Havemeyer Field behind Greenwich Town Hall.

The kid’s run starts and finishes on the track following the 5K race.

Greenwich Town Party

While not related to Memorial Day, the annual Greenwich Town Party will be held on May 27. The popular music extravaganza traditionally takes place on Memorial Day Weekend each year to unofficially kick-off summer.

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.