Memorial Day Weekend 2024: 4 Things To Do Around Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — The upcoming Memorial Day boat parade in Berkeley is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The Berkeley Shores Blessing of the Fleet at 10:45 a.m. on May 25 at Amherst Beach is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 25-27 this year. This annual commemoration gives thanks to those who gave their lives serving the country. Find more information here.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• Memorial Day service at Lacey Elks Lodge: May 25 at 11 a.m. (900 Beach Blvd., Forked River)
• American Legion Post 129 Memorial Day Pig Roast and BBQ: May 25 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (2025 Church Road, Toms River)
• Wreath Laying Ceremony at Holiday City Berkeley: May 27 at 2 p.m. (Clubhouse 1)

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

• Memorial Day Weekend at the Lacey Elks Lodge: May 27 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (900 Beach Blvd., Forked River)
• White Sands Beach (South Seaside Park) is staffed with lifeguards starting Memorial Day Weekend. Read more: 2024 Jersey Shore Beach Guide: Beach Badges, Town Curfews
• The spray park at John C. Bartlett, Jr. County Park at Berkeley Island reopens Memorial Day Weekend.

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.