Memorial Day Weekend 2023: Parade, Events In Westfield

WESTFIELD, NJ — The The Martin Wallberg American Legion Post 3 will once again come together to honor the service and sacrifice of all veterans on Monday, May 29.

The Memorial Day Parade is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 27-29 this year.

The day's events will begin with the traditional ceremony at 10 a.m. in Memorial Plaza to honor fallen heroes. The parade will then process down East Broad Street and turn left on North Euclid, ending in Mindowaskin Park.

The Westfield Police Department will then escort all participating veterans to Fairview Cemetery for the annual solemn service held there.

Following the parade, all members of the public are invited for a gathering in Mindowaskin Park, and the American Legion will also host its annual barbecue with music and entertainment.

Event schedule details:

• 9:15 a.m. -All parade participants to line up on North Avenue near Memorial Plaza
• 10 a.m. - Memorial Day traditional solemn ceremony in Memorial Plaza
• 10:45 a.m. - Parade begins down East Broad Street and proceeds left onto Euclid Avenue, ending at Mindowaskin Park
• 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Community gathering in Mindowaskin Park with food and entertainment
• 12 p.m. - Memorial Day service at Fairview Cemetery (1100 E Broad Street)
• 2 - 5 p.m. - Picnic with live music and entertainment at the American Legion Hall (1003 North Avenue)

For additional information, contact James McDonald at jamesmc150@gmail.com or 612-910-4100. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Joe Mindak at 201-410-8282 or joe@theconnective.me.

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

Hard Cider Festival on Saturday, May 29 from 1 to 6 p.m. at Melick's Town Farm Cider Mill in the historic village of Oldwick. Tickets are available for $13 purchased in advance or $17 walk up. Each ticket is good for two glasses of hard cider or wine. Guests can enjoy live music, see the new hard cider production facility, stroll through the orchards and for the kids take a free hay wagon ride. Food and soft drinks will be available for purchase. This event is rain or shine.

Jersey Shore Food Truck Festival at Monmouth Park Racetrack from May 27 to May 29. There will be nearly 40 trucks. Live music from noon to 4 p.m. all three days on two stages. Free Family Fun Day events - including clowns, face painters, pony rides, and a bounce house, will take place from noon to 4 p.m. in the picnic area on Saturday and Sunday. Purchase general admission at seatgeek.com/monmouth and use promo code FoodTrucks23 to save 15 percent.

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.