Memorial Day Events In Putnam, Rockland, Westchester

If you are looking for ways to show your gratitude to the women and men who lost their lives while defending our country, then you have plenty of opportunities to do so on Memorial Day in Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties in 2018. Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, originated in the years following the Civil War.

It only became an official federal holiday in 1971.

Many Americans observe it by visiting cemeteries or memorials, at family gatherings and by participating in parades. It marks the unofficial beginning of summer.

Here are just some of the local events marking Memorial Day 2018:

• Brewster: VFW Post 672 hosts its annual parade at 10 a.m. May 28. It starts at the Brewster Fire House and heads downhill to Veterans Park, formerly Electrozone Field, for the ceremony.
• Bronxville: The parade steps off from Leonard Morange Square Park at 8:45 a.m. May 28. A ceremony and wreath laying service will be held at the Bronxville School, and services will be held at the Bronxville Cemetery.
• Harrison: The parade starts at 10 a.m. May 28. It goes from Halstead Avenue to Ma Riis Park
• Larchmont: American Legion Post 347's ceremony starts at 11 a.m. May 28 at the War Memorial on Myrtle Boulevard.
• Mamaroneck: VFW 1156 holds a ceremony at 9 a.m. May 28 at Tompkins Park on Boston Post Road.
• Mount Vernon: The city's Memorial Day parade begins at 9:30 a.m. May 28 at Park Avenue and First Street, ending at Hartley Park.
• Mount Vernon: St. Paul's Church National Historic Site will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A commemorative ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. in the church followed by laying of wreaths, and a walking tour recalling the lives and stories of soldiers interred in the historic cemetery, with an emphasis on World War I veterans. There will also be music, living history demonstrations and talks. 897 S. Columbus Ave.
• Nanuet: Memorial Day Service 11 a.m. May 28, Veterans Monument at the Nanuet Train Station (Prospect Street). Sponsored by American Legion Naurashan Post 794, Jewish War Veterans, and the Nanuet Fire Department.
• New Castle: The town's Memorial Day events start with ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. May 28 at Victory Corners Monument, King Street and Bedford Road. The parade starts at 11 a.m. at Ridgewood Terrace at Bedford Road and marches to the Memorial Circle at the Chappaqua train station.
• New City: The parade steps off at 10 a.m. May 28 on Collyer Avenue, continues south on Main Street and ends at the County Court House.
• New Rochelle: There's a Memorial Day service at 10 a.m. May 28 on Memorial Plaza, Memorial Highway and Main Street; then a water service at noon at Glen Island Park followed by a veterans appreciation event featuring a barbecue and free concert.
• Nyack: The parade starts at 11 a.m. May 28 on Artopee Way and ends at Memorial Park, where a ceremony will be held.
• Ossining: The Memorial Day Parade begins at 9:30 a.m. May 28. It winds down Croton Avenue, Main Street, and Spring Street, then culminates in Nelson Park for a ceremony honoring veterans. The Central Committee of Organized War Veterans of the Town of Ossining organizes this special event every year.
• Pearl River: John H. Secor American Legion Post 329 hosts the annual parade. It starts at 10:15 a.m. May 28 on North Middletown Road and ends at Braunsdorf Park. The guest speaker will be Kevin Whelan, a U.S. Army Combat Veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom II/III.
• Peekskill: Captain Oliver C. Chase Jr. Post 274 hosts a ceremony starting at 10 a.m. at Monument Park. Refreshments follow at the American Legion Hall.
• Pleasantville: The parade starts at 10 a.m. May 28 at Bedford Road School and ends at Memorial Plaza, where a ceremony will be held. www.pleasantville-ny.gov.
• Shrub Oak: There will be a ceremony at 10 a.m. May 28 at John C. Hart Memorial Library.
• Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown: The parade starts at 9 a.m. May 28 on Main Street in Tarrytown and ends at Patriots Park for a memorial service.
• Somers: VFW Post 8013 hosts a parade and remembrance ceremony starting at 10 a.m. May 28 at Somers Middle School and ending at Ivandell Cemetery.
• West Nyack: Memorial Day Parade 11 a.m. May 28. Parade starts at 107 Strawtown Road, along Strawtown Road to West Nyack Hamlet Green (on West Nyack Road). Sponsored by Nanuet-West Nyack Rotary
• White Plains: The parade begins at 10 a.m. May 28 on Church Street and ends at the Rural Cemetery on North Broadway. There, memorial services and honors at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument will be held.
• Yorktown Heights: The Memorial Day service will be held at 11 a.m. May 28 at the memorials at Town Hall. Parade, speeches and ceremony follow at 11:15 a.m. at the Jack Devito Gazebo at Yorktown Community and Cultural Center on Commerce Street.