Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Things To Do In Arlington Heights

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — The upcoming Memorial Day service/parade in Arlington Heights is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The 104th edition of the annual Arlington Heights Memorial Day Parade is scheduled to take place at 9:30 a.m. Monday, May 29. According to the Village website, the parade will begin at Arlington Heights Road and Sigwalt Street, go west to Sigwalt, turn north on Dunton, turn west on Euclid, and south on Chestnut. The parade then concludes at Memorial Park, where the Memorial Day Ceremony will take place at 11 a.m.

RELATED: Annual Memorial Day Parade, Ceremony Planned For Arlington Heights

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• 9:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. May 29, Palatine Memorial Day Parade. Parade staging begins at 9:45 a.m. outside Hillside Cemetery at Smith Street and Cornell Avenue. American Legion Post 690 will conduct a brief ceremony inside the cemetery at 10 a.m., then the parade will begin at 10:15 a.m. at Smith and Hillside, and proceed to Community Park Veteran's Memorial at Wood Street and Northwest Highway, for a ceremony at 11 a.m.
• 11 a.m. May 29, Rolling Meadows Memorial Day Parade. The parade will begin at the corner of Meadow Drive and Kirchoff Road, traveling west on Kirchhoff toward the Carillon Tower. A ceremony will follow at the tower after the parade at 11:30 a.m.
• 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. May 29, Elk Grove Village Memorial Day Observance Ceremony, Elk Grove Park District Pavilion, 1000 Wellington Ave. (gymnasium).
• 9:45 a.m. May 29, Mount Prospect Memorial Day Parade. The parade will proceed south from the Mt. Prospect Village Hall on Emerson Street to Lincoln Street, then east Lions Park, followed by a ceremony.

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

• May 26-May 28, Arlington Lanes Memorial Day Weekend Open, 3435 N. Kennicott Ave.
• Noon to 7 p.m. May 27, opening day at Recreation and Pioneer pools, Arlington Heights Park District. Learn more here.
• 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. May 29, Arlington Heights Community Concert Band at Memorial Park, North Chestnut Avenue and West Fremont Street.
• 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. May 29, Schaumburg Boomers vs. Windy City Thunderbolts, minor league baseball game, WinTrust Field, 1999 S. Springinsguth Road, Schaumburg.
• 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 29, outdoor painting experience, Bottle & Bottega by Painting with a Twist, 10 W Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Read more and sign up here.

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.