Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Events, Parades Around Cherry Hill

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Cherry Hill will once again come together during the Memorial Day Ceremony, as communities throughout the United States honor military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The township's ceremony begins at 10 a.m. May 29, which is Memorial Day. Mayor Susan Shin Angulo and Township Council will honor veterans and active-duty military personnel.

American Legion Post 372 and Jewish War Veterans Post 126 are cohosting the ceremony. The keynote speaker is LTC Doug Ferrie, New Jersey Army National Guard, with 28 years of service.

Below are some other events and parades nearby:

• Memorial Day Ceremony and Wreath Laying Services in Gloucester Township: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. May 29. See the schedule and list of locations on the township calendar.
• Glassboro Memorial Day Parade: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. May 29. See the parade route.
• Memorial Day Skate: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 29 at Millenium Skate World (1900 Carman St., Camden).
• Camden County's Memorial Day Ceremony: 10 a.m. May 29 on the Battleship NJ.
• Memorial Day Dedication Ceremonies in Haddon Heights: wreath-laying ceremony at 10 a.m., parade procession at 10:30 a.m., and a VFW-led wreath-dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. Find more info 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.