Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Events, Parades In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The annual Memorial Day parade in Toms River, organized by George P. Vanderveer American Legion Post 129 is set for Monday, May 29.

American Legion Post 129 has been organizing the parade for years, part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The parade, which is set to step off at 9:30 a.m. on Memorial Day and march down Main Street, is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

Those who wish to march are asked to gather on Highland Parkway near the Office Lounge by 9 a.m. The parade will travel from Highland Parkway, down Main Street to Washington Street, and east on Washington Street to Town Hall for a ceremony to honor the U.S. war dead.

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

There are concerts on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach and Seaside Heights to kick off the weekend. Both are scheduled for Friday, May 26.

In Seaside Heights, it's a '70s and '80s Dance Party with DJ Duane Stasse of 100.1 WJRZ beginning at 4 p.m. in front of Spicy Cantina. It will include special musical guest Starship, featuring Mickey Thomas. After the kickoff, the celebration continues at 8:30 p.m. with the music of the White Wing, Radio Stranger & Samantha Spano.

In Point Pleasant Beach, the Jumpstart to Summer with Z100 will include live performances by Flo Rida and Jelly Roll. The event begins at 11 a.m. at Jenks Club at Jenkinson's Pavilion. The doors open at 10 a.m. Z100 is conducting a "Skip The Line" contest. For those coming to the concert, the following items are banned inside the pavilion: beach or lawn chairs, strollers, carriages, large packages, backpacks, bags or coolers. No outside food or drink, no water bottles, no glass or alcohol will be permitted inside the pavilion. Security personnel will search all pocketbooks and handbags prior to entry.

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.