Memorial Day Weekend 2024: Events And Parades Around Doylestown

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — The upcoming Memorial Day service and parade in Doylestown is part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Among the nation's oldest, the Doylestown Memorial Day Parade steps off at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 27. It is the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend — May 25-27 this year. The parade is conducted annually to remember the American veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the nation and its democratic ideals. Last year's parade included approximately 1,700 participants, representing more than 100 separate units including eight local school bands, and drew an estimated 15,000 spectators. After a 9 a.m. flag raising at War Memorial Field, the parade begins at 10 a.m. at Central Bucks West High School, marches east on West Court Street, then east on West State Street, north on Main Street, and finally east on East Court Street to the Doylestown Cemetery where it culminates with a 30-minute memorial service, during which the United Veterans of Doylestown place wreaths to honor the community's fallen heroes.

Here are several other Memorial Day events taking place over the long Memorial Day Weekend:

• Plumstead Township will hold a Memorial Day observance on Saturday, May 25 beginning at 9 a.m. at Veterans Park, 5775 Easton Road. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 26.
• The Warrington Township Veterans Affairs Committee will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony on Saturday, May 25 beginning at 11 a.m., rain or shine, at Igoe Porter Wellings (IPW) Memorial Field located at 3095 Bradley Road, Chalfont. The event will include prayers, a wreath laying ceremony, special music and remarks by guest speakers.
• The 2024 Sellersville Memorial Day and Sesquicentennial Parade will take place on Saturday, May 25 in Sellersville. The parade will start at 10 a.m. forming at the intersection of Diamond Street and East Clymer Avenue before proceeding to the service at the Veteran’s Memorial in Lenape Park.
• Remembrance services will be held at the Washington Crossing National Cemetery on Monday, May 27 beginning at 9 a.m. Visitors should arrive early and meet at the flagpole. The cemetery is located on Highland Road in Newtown (Upper Makefield), 18940. Through the Travis Manion Foundation Honor Project, volunteers will also place hand-crafted commemorative tokens at the resting places of fallen heroes and pause to reflect on their service and sacrifice. To volunteer for the honor project, visit travismanion.org.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Doylestown cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

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.