Memorial Day Parade In Sarasota Highlight Of Weekend Events

SARASOTA, FL — The upcoming Memorial Day Parade in Sarasota is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Taking place Monday, 10 a.m. to noon in downtown Sarasota, the parade is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

The parade starts at Main Street and Osprey Avenue and travels westward to lower Main Street, where it will end at Gulfstream Avenue. Around 11 a.m. a ceremony takes place at Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park.

This year’s keynote speaker is retired Navy Capt. Richard Petrucci, who was a naval aviator with four squadrons for 25 years.

Below are some other events and parades happening nearby this weekend:

• Annual Memorial 5K Hike, Saturday, 8 a.m., J.D. Hamel Park, Sarasota, hosted by SRQ Vets
• Memorial Day Tribute, Saturday, 10 to 11:15 a.m., Sarasota National Cemetery, includes music and poetry, a memorial wreath presentation, and names of fallen military members spoken by Gold Star families.
• Memorial Day Jeep Parade, Monday, 8 to 11 a.m., starting at Sarasota Lanes
• Memorial Day Ceremony, Monday, 10 to 11 a.m., Patriots Park, Venice, features a laying of wreaths, area veterans organizations and featured speaker retired Col, Norman MacLellan
• Sarasota Concert Band, Monday, 5 to 7 p.m., Phillippi Estate Park, Sarasota, Nokomis Boy Scout Troop 1001 will present colors. Bring a lawn chair, blanket and snacks.

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

• Moved to Music: Violin on the Bay, Friday, 6:30 p.m., Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, Sarasota
• St. Armands Fine Art Festival, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., St. Armands Circle, Sarasota
• Spring Indie Market, Saturday, noon to 6 p.m., The Mall at University Town Center, Sarasota
• Veg Head Music & Wine Festival, Saturday, noon to 6 p.m., The Mall at University Town Center, Sarasota
• Oasis Closing Party, Saturday, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., Oasis Restaurant & Bar, Sarasota
• AquaPalooza, Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., New Pass Sandbar, Sarasota
• Damon Fowler with Kettle of Fish, Sunday, 4 p.m., Stottlemyer’s Smokehouse, Sarasota
• Memorial Day Metal Mayhem, Sunday, 7 p.m., Joyland, Sarasota
• Race Around Lido and Memorial Day Family Day, Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Lido Beach, hosted by the Sarasota Youth Sailing Squadron this race is open to non-motorized watercraft, including sailboats of all sizes, kayaks, canoes and paddle boards.

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.