Here's where to find 2024 Memorial Day events and parades in and around Stark County
Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday in May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.
Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday through an act of Congress in 1971, and its roots date back to the Civil War era, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Unlike Veterans Day, Memorial Day honors all military members who have died in while serving in U.S. forces.
Why do we observe Memorial Day? Here's the true history of the holiday
This year, the holiday will be celebrated May 27.
Here's a look at Memorial Day events and parades in the Canton area:
Canal Fulton
The Memorial Day parade presented by Canal Fulton VFW Post 9795 will be 9 to 10 a.m. Monday. It will begin at Lindsay Concrete and travel along Erie Street, turn right onto Market Street, and end with a ceremony at City Hall.
A Time to Remember: Free Memorial Day dinner and concert will be today at Northwest High School’s Puffenberger Auditorium, 8580 Erie Ave. NW. Dinner begins at 6 p.m., and the concert begins at 7 p.m. The Canal Fulton Community Band is celebrating its 70th anniversary. Only 300 dinner tickets are available. Pick up tickets from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at City Hall or call 330-949-3520. No tickets are required for the concert. Any donations will benefit the All Veterans Memorial to purchase military banners for downtown streetlights.
Canton
The Greater Canton Veterans Council Memorial Parade will be Monday. The parade lineup will start at 8:30 a.m. on McKinley Avenue NW outside McKinley Early College High School (formerly Timken High School). The parade will begin at 10 a.m. The route is 1.2 miles, ending at the McKinley National Memorial. A memorial program will take place after the parade.
East Canton
Lowell D. Oberly American Legion Post 667's Memorial Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m. Monday. Participants should line up at the corner of Browning and Noble streets by 9:30 a.m. The parade will be west on Center Street; south on state Route 44; west on Church Street; north on Plum Street and east on Noble Street. For more information, contact parade Chairman Jack Spencer at 330-581-5199.
Knox Township
George D. Worth Post 574 of the American Legion plans its Memorial Day service at 10 a.m. Monday. Flags will be brought to the memorial by Post 574 collar guard just before the program starts. Featured speaker is Sebring Village Mayor David Wright. The Legion will place flags on veterans’ graves on Saturday. Volunteers are needed to assist in the project, which covers five cemeteries in Knox Township.
Green
The Memorial Day pancake breakfast, parade, ceremony, car show and picnic will be Monday.
The Memorial Day pancake breakfast will be 7 to 10 a.m. at Fire Station 1, 4200 Massillon Road. Donations will be accepted to benefit Furnace Street Mission Safety Forces Support Center.
The Memorial Day parade will begin at 10 a.m. from Green High School, 1474 Boettler Road. The tentative parade route travels east on Boettler Road to Massillon Road south (southbound lanes only) to Steese Road west to the Green Intermediate School, back to the Green High School parking lot via Bulldog Boulevard. For a parade route map, visit https://www.cityofgreen.org/569/Memorial-Day.
The Memorial Day ceremony will begin at noon at the Green Veterans Memorial Park, 1900 Steese Road. The ceremony will honor fallen heroes and local veterans; two local veterans will be recognized. Parking for the Memorial Day ceremony will be at Fire Station 1 (handicap parking only), John Torok Senior/Community Center, Queen of Heaven Church, and the Anthony Funeral Home. Steese Road will be closed to traffic during the ceremony.
The Memorial Day car show and picnic will begin immediately following the Memorial Day ceremony and will end at 3 p.m. Parking for participating vehicles begins at 7:30 a.m. at the John Torok Center, 4224 Massillon Road.
Magnolia
The Memorial Day parade will form at the Finefrock/Gordon Funeral Home parking lot at 10:40 a.m. Monday. Sandy Valley American Legion Post 432 will conduct memorial services at 11 a.m. at the Magnolia Cemetery, off Harrison Avenue. The speaker will be Capt. James Smith. The Sandy Valley High School Senior Band will perform.
Massillon
Massillon’s Memorial Day parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the corner of Eighth Street NE and Lincoln Way E. It will turn left on Erie Street and left on Tremont to conclude at Veterans Memorial Park. The parade will include color guards; veterans groups; dignitaries; special cars and vehicles festooned with red, white and blue; police and fire vehicles; and the Massillon Tiger Swing Band. Flags will be distributed for spectators to wave along the parade route. Political signs, handouts, and thrown candy will not be allowed.
The annual Memorial Day ceremony will be held after the parade at about 10:30 a.m. at Duncan Plaza and Veterans Memorial Park. The speaker will be Col. Howard K. Marotto II. An ensemble from the Tiger Swing Band will perform. Veterans escorted by color guard members will place wreaths at monuments throughout Veterans Memorial Park to honor various branches of service.
Minerva
The memorial program at the Valley Street Cemetery will begin at 10 a.m. Monday. A brief ceremony will be held by Donald G. Whetstone VFW Post 4120 at the cemetery with the three-volley salute and taps. Participants then will parade to East Lawn Cemetery. Services at East Lawn Cemetery on East Line Street will begin at 10:30 a.m. The program will include speaker Christopher Kinsey, a 30-year member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Minerva Middle School students Emery Sell and Everett Pancoast will recite the Gettysburg Address, and the Minerva High School Concert Band will perform patriotic music. Pastor Phil Rittenhouse will offer the invocation and benediction. VFW Post 4120 will provide the three-volley salute, taps and the laying of the wreath.
Moultrie
The West Township Memorial Association will have Memorial Day services Monday at Moultrie Chapel, 23577 state Route 172.
The march to decorate the graves will begin at 2 p.m., after the salute from VFW Post 4120 of Minerva. Minerva Elementary School fifth grader Harmony Geiselman will recite the Gettysburg Address. The Minerva Community Band will provide patriotic music and will play taps.
The program inside the chapel will include speaker and World War II veteran William “Bill” Pilati from Minerva. Attending veterans will be recognized. Special music will be provided by Isabella Gambone. Joseph Ellis will lead the congregation in group singing. Ice cream will be served after the program.
Navarre
The Memorial Day parade will start at 1 p.m. Monday. It will begin from the Navarre YMCA, traveling south on Market Street, turning left onto Wooster Street, turning left to Columbiana Street, turning left again and finishing at the cemetery.
North Canton
The Memorial Day parade, hosted by the North Canton Lions Club, will begin at 9 a.m. Monday. Lineup will be at 8:30 a.m. The new staging location is one of the parking lots at Hoover High School on Seventh Street NE. The parade will go along Seventh Street to Main Street, turn south onto Main Street and continue to Bitzer Park, where it will end. For more information about the parade, visit https://northcantonlions.com/contact-howard/. The Memorial Day ceremony will be at about 10 a.m. at Bitzer Park, 200 S. Main St.
North Lawrence
The Memorial Day parade on Monday will form on Lawmont Street NW east of Alabama Avenue NW at 9 a.m. The parade will go north on Alabama Avenue, stopping at the North Lawrence Fire Station for a ceremony at the Memorial of Honor at 9:30 a.m. Pastor Phil Hoverstock will share a prayer, and Tuslaw Boy Scout Troop 933 will raise the flag. Chief Magistrate Matthew P. Kreitzer will be the guest speaker. North Lawrence Fire Department charter member Robert Eicher will be the parade marshal. The parade will continue to the Newman’s Creek Cemetery behind Chapel of the Cross Global Methodist Church, where a memorial service will be held.
Paris Township
The memorial program will begin at 1:30 p.m. today at Liberty Cemetery on Blade Road. The program will include speaker Minerva Mayor Tim Tarbet, a U.S. Army veteran. Minerva Middle School student Daniel Herstine will recite the Gettysburg Address. The Minerva Middle School Band will perform patriotic music. The Donald G. Whetstone VFW Post 4120 will provide the three-volley salute and taps. Pastor Clint Frazier of Dominion Reformed Fellowship in Robertsville will offer the invocation and benediction.
Salem
The City of Salem plans several events to help community members mark Memorial Day on Monday. A veterans breakfast will begin at 7:45 a.m. at St. Paul School. A Memorial Day service will follow at 9 a.m. Monday on the Village Green. A procession will move from Village Green to Grandview Cemetery at 10 a.m. Monday.
Seville
The Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery will hold a Memorial Day commemoration ceremony at 2 p.m. today at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery rostrum (main flagpole), 10175 Rawiga Road. The keynote speaker will be Wes Emch, a member of a Gold Star Family. The 122nd Army Band, 555th Honors Detachment will be providing rifle volleys and Soldiers Cross presentation. Local law enforcement and cemetery staff will coordinate parking. Those attending are encouraged to arrive early, bring a folding chair if possible and an umbrella if desired.
Washington Township
A ceremony will be at 2 p.m. today at the township’s veterans memorial. Folding chairs will be set up, but you may also bring your own lawn chair if you prefer, or a blanket to sit on the grass. There will be music, prayer, and a special guest speaker. Flags will be placed around our veterans monument as each name engraved upon it is read aloud. In case of inclement weather, gather indoors at the Washington Elementary School across the street.
Waynesburg
The Memorial Day parade will form at the American Legion Hall, 166 Lisbon St., at 8:45 a.m. Monday. Sandy Valley American Legion Post 432 will conduct memorial services beginning at 10 a.m. at the Sandy Valley Cemetery. The speaker will be Capt. James Smith. The Sandy Valley High School Senior Band will perform.
Wilmot
The Wilmot Cemetery Association will conduct the annual Memorial Day observance at Greenlawn Cemetery at 8:45 a.m. Monday. The observance will commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 1944. Beach City American Legion Weimer-Widder Post 549 will conduct ceremonies honoring all veterans and will include the reading of the Roll of Honor of Veterans who are buried in the cemetery. The Fairless High School Marching Band will provide music. Association board member and retired Stark County Family Court Judge David Stucki will pay tribute to Robert W. Andrews and Orion D. Zurcher, local men who participated in the D-Day invasion.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair. Parking within the cemetery grounds will be limited to vehicles with handicapped placards. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held at Faith Christian Academy, 511 W. Main St.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: 2024 Memorial Day parades and observances in the Stark County area
