Memorial Day Weekend 2023: East End Events, Parades

EAST END, NY — The upcoming Memorial Day parades and events on the East End are part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Paying tribute to the fallen is a beloved tradition on the East End. Here's a round-up of ceremonies and parades over the three-day weekend:

SOUTHOLD

Southold's American Legion Auxiliary Unit #803 is encouraging residents to honor fallen warriors on National Poppy Day. The "Pop Over For A Poppy" event will be held on Friday, May 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at American Legion Post #803, located at 51655 Main Road in Southold.

This year’s Town of Southold Memorial Day Parade will be hosted by Mattituck American Legion post 861. A ceremony and presentation of dignitaries is slated to start at 10 a.m., at the monument located in front of Post 861 on Wickham Avenue in Mattituck. A parade will follow. A reception will be held at Post 861 following the parade. The public is invited to attend all functions.

CALVERTON

The annual Memorial Day Ceremony takes place at the Calverton National Cemetery assembly area Monday at 1 p.m. The annual wreath-laying ceremony takes place Saturday at 9:30 am.

SOUTHAMPTON

The Village of Southampton Commission on Veterans Patriotic Events hosts its Memorial Day Service Monday May 29, at 11 a.m. in Agawam Park.

HAMPTON BAYS

The annual Memorial Day service and parade takes place Monday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. at the American Legion Hand-Aldrich Post 924, located at 55 Ponquogue Avenue. A parade follows, beginning at the Legion and heading to Main Street before concluding at Good Ground Cemetery, where a service will take place around 11 a.m.

SAG HARBOR

The Chelberg & Battle American Legion Post #388 parade begins at 9 a.m. at the World War II monument near Mashashimuet Park and ends at Marine Park, passing through Main Street.

EAST HAMPTON

Hosted by the VFW and the American Legion, the Memorial Day event, which begins at 9 a.m., includes a flyover at Main Beach at 9 a.m., a parade on Main Street at 10 a.m., and a ceremony on the Village Green at 11 a.m.

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

- Harbes Family Farm will be hosting its first Baby Animal Festival over Memorial Day weekend in Mattituck. For information, click here.

- The Greenport Fire Department Star Hose Company's annual Memorial Day Carnival takes place May 25, 26, 27, and 28 at the Polo Grounds on Moore's Lane. Fireworks will begin at 10 p.m. on the 27th.

- The 27th Annual Mosaic Festival unfolds in Riverhead Sunday. For information, click here.

- The Maggie Burbank Arts & Craft Show unfolds over Memorial Day weekend on the Great Lawn in Westhampton Beach. For information, click here.

- The Southampton Inn's 25th Anniversary Memorial Day BBQ take place on Sunday; for information, click 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.