Memorial Day Events in Lake County

Monday, May 29 is Memorial Day this year, and one way to commemorate the date is to attend a Memorial Day Service in your community.

But what is Memorial Day and why do we commemorate it?

Although, to many, Memorial Day week­end is synonymous with the beginning of summer, Memorial Day is actually a day of remembrance for honoring military person­nel who have died in our nation’s wars.

The first national observance of what we now call Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868, and was titled Decoration Day. Com­mander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic proclaimed this holiday to honor the Union soldiers who died in the American Civil War. Before Logan’s declara­tion, many cities and people observed a simi­lar remembrance. It wasn’t until 2022 that the National Cemetery Association, a division of the Department of Veterans Affairs, credited Mary Ann Williams with originating the “idea of strewing the graves of Civil War soldiers – Union and Confederate” with flowers.

Memorial Day slowly spread among the different states, with New York being the first to adopt the day as a statewide holiday in 1873. By 1890, every Union state had adopt­ed it. After the World Wars, Memorial Day evolved into a day of remembrance for all members of the U.S. military who fought and died in service. Memorial Day was observed annually on May 30th until 1971; at which time Congress standardized the holiday and changed the date of observation to the last Monday in May.

The National Moment of Remembrance was added to Memorial Day in 2000, and occurs at 3:00 p.m. local time. Citizens are asked to pause for one minute to remember those who have died in service to the Unit­ed States. A number of nationwide organiza­tions observe this moment. All Major League Baseball games halt. Amtrak train whistles sound throughout the country.

American Legion Post 109 in Two Harbors is hosting a community program for Memo­rial Day at the Two Harbors High School on May 29. Doors will open at 9:00 a.m., and the city band will play some selections beginning at 9:30. The program itself begins at 10:00 and will last approximately 45 minutes. At 11:00 a.m., the program will continue at the Edna G, where honors will be conducted by the American Legion Honor Guard, and at ap­proximately 11:45 the program will conclude at the Lake View Cemetery Veterans’ Sec­tion. After the program, a free picnic-style lunch will be offered at the American Legion at 614 First Ave. in Two Harbors.

For those further up the Shore, and for those who wish to continue honoring “those who gave all,” the Silver Bay Veterans’ Home will have an outdoor service on May 29th at 1:30 p.m..

Thank you to all the men and women who have died to protect our freedom. Your sac­rifice will not be forgotten; and as Abraham Lincoln once said, may “we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that gov­ernment of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”