Memorial Day In Naperville: Parade And Ceremony Details

NAPERVILLE, IL -- The 2017 Memorial Day Parade is coming in Naperville. On May 29, ceremonies will begin at 7:45 a.m. at City Hall, 400 S Eagle St., followed by services all over the city and, of course, the parade.

Seventy groups will be marching, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion, marching bands from around the city's schools, police, firefighters, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts and more.

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of every May. It originated at Decoration Day, a holiday first observed in May of 1868 by Union Civil War veterans, who placed flowers on the graves of those who died in battle. The holiday took track here in Illinois, in Decatur.

The holiday expanded into Memorial Day, an observance and celebration of the patriotism of our service men and women who have died in battle. It was declared a national holiday in Congress in 1971.

Following is the schedule of events for the parade:

• 7:45 a.m. - Flag raising at City Hall
• 8:15 a.m. - Services at Veterans Park
• 8:35 a.m. - Services at Burlington Square Park
• 9:00 a.m. - Services at SS Peter and Paul Cemetery
• 9:45 a.m. - Services at G.A.R. Monument (vehicle access to parade staging closes)
• 10:30 a.m. - Parade step-off
• 12:15 p.m. - Ceremony in Central Park

The Officer of the Day for the parade will be Lou Wegerer, a Navy veteran of World War II. The parade marshal will be Frank Haynes, an Army veteran of the Korean War.

Everybody is invited to the Central Park ceremony, where Ryan Park will be the guest speaker. He is the winner of the 2017 American Legion State Oratorical Contest, which aims to promote understanding of the U.S. Constitution in our youth.

VFW and American Legion posts often play a huge role in Memorial Day ceremonies and events. They are both nonprofit organizations. Here you can visit the websites for the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 and the Naperville American Legion Post 43.

Article image by Win McNamee/'Flags In' Ceremony Held At Arlington National Ahead Of Memorial Day/Getty Images News/Getty Images