It’s considered the unofficial start of the summer, but it’s also the day the nation honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. armed military.
Tri-Town’s traditional activities will continue again this year, so let’s hope for great weather and an even greater turnout to some of our favorite events of the year.
Marion:Memorial Day preparations begin on Saturday, May 25, at 9:00 am at Evergreen Cemetery on Route 6 with the Scouts and other volunteers tidying up the cemetery and planting flowers on veterans’ graves. Anyone wishing to volunteer may arrive at the cemetery to help out, and any help is always welcome.
On Monday, May 27, at 9:00 am, Marion’s Memorial Day Remembrances and Procession will take place in front of the Marion Music Hall at 164 Front Street.
The 2019 procession and remembrances will follow the same route as last year, stepping off from the Music Hall northbound on Front Street and marching 0.6 miles up Front Street to the Veterans’ Memorial at Old Landing. Upon arrival at the Veterans’ Memorial, the town will pay tribute to our military’s “honored dead” who “gave the last full measure of devotion”.
The procession and remembrances will feature the Sippican School Marching Band led by director Hannah Moore, The Portuguese American Band, and a military veterans’ color guard.
The guest speaker this year is Professor James R. Holmes, Ph.D. of the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and the master of ceremonies for the event will be Captain Andrew Bonney of the Massachusetts Air National Guard.
The Town encourages residents to participate in the remembrances, and also along the procession route on Front Street between Cottage Street and Ryder Lane.
In the event of rain, the ceremony will be relocated to the Multipurpose Room of Sippican School.
Mattapoisett:The Mattapoisett Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade is scheduled for Monday, May 27, at 1:30 pm at Center School.
The Florence Eastman Post 280 of the American Legion invites you to please join them in honoring our fallen heroes.
The guest speaker will be Eric R. Dawicki, president and CEO of Northeast Maritime Institute. Dawicki has had a very accomplished career in the maritime industry, as well as serving in both the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Merchant Marine.
The Old Hammondtown School Band will be performing a selection of patriotic tunes before joining in the parade after the ceremony.
The parade will form on Barstow Street and proceed to the Mattapoisett Library for a wreath ceremony at the WWI Monument, the Civil War Monument, and the Florence Eastman Stone. From the library, the parade will proceed to the Town Wharf where an observance will be held for those who lost their lives at sea.
Rochester:The Rochester Memorial Day observance will be held on Sunday, May 26, beginning at 12:00 pm on the steps of Town Hall. The annual parade will follow, featuring the RMS School Band, Rochester Fire, Police, and Scouts.
The 85thannual Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race on the Mattapoisett River, sponsored by the Rochester Fire Department, will take place on Memorial Day, May 27, starting at 8:30 am at Grandma Hartley’s Reservoir on Snipatuit Road in Rochester, and finishing at the Herring Weir, where River Road meets Route 6, in Mattapoisett.
The river racing boat will be raffled, and trophies and prizes will be awarded Memorial Day at the Rochester Memorial School at 7:30 pm.
The Wanderer wishes everybody a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day, and when you see us with our camera at any of these events, smile! And don’t forget to read The Wanderer… You might be in it!