Norwich area Memorial Day celebrations: what to know

Staff Reports
·4 min read

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, is the federal holiday for mourning U. S. military personnel who lost their lives while serving in the armed forces.

Decoration Day began on May 30, 1868, and was designated as the day to honor Union soldiers who had died in battle. After World War I and II, the holiday turned into a remembrance for all soldiers who fought and died in the service.

The holiday was known as Decoration Day until 1971, when Congress renamed it "Memorial Day" and designated its commemoration to occur on the last Monday in May.

Many local communities continue the tradition of placing flags on veterans' graves and holding ceremonies and parades in honor of those who paid the ultimate price.

Here is what is happening in the Norwich area.

Norwich

The Norwich Memorial Day Parade commences at 12 Noon, on Monday, Memorial Day, May 27.  The Parade starts from in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral (213 Broadway) and continues down Broadway to Washington Street.

There is also a Memorial Day Commemorative Ceremony which will start at approximately 1 p.m. on Chelsea Parade after the end of the Parade. The program is located near the War Memorial area (across from NFA).

The Norwich Memorial Day Parade is being presented and organized by the Norwich Area Veterans Council, the City of Norwich and the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce (GNACC).

Bozrah

The 2024 Bozrah Memorial Day Parade will take place this year on Saturday May 25. The day will start with a short ceremony at the Veterans Memorial at 11:00am. The parade will gather at the entrance of Schwartz Road and kickoff at 1:00pm ending at the Moose for refreshments music and awards ceremony. The Norwich Free Academy marching band will be leading the parade. The event will take place, rain or shine.

Griswold

The first Memorial Day Ceremony in Griswold starts Monday at 9 a.m. in Fanning Park, 38 E. Main St. Jewett City. The ceremony lasts around 35 minutes, and features speakers, patriotic songs, TAPS, a flag raising, and a roll call of all the veterans in town who’ve passed away since last Memorial Day, Griswold resident Ed Burdick said.

A parade starts from the park immediately after, it will run from the park down to the bridge that connects Lisbon and Jewett City, and return to the park.

A color guard also conducts smaller ceremonies at Jewett City Cemetery, St. Anthony Cemetery, St. Thomas Cemetery, St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lisbon, and St. Mary’s Cemetery in Griswold on Lilly Pond Road. Those ceremonies are smaller and are usually just attended by the families of veterans buried in those cemeteries.

After that, there is one more mini ceremony at Pachaug Cemetery at 1026 Voluntown Road at 1 p.m.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10004 and American Legion Post 15 organize the events.

Killingly

Killingly will hold multiple Memorial Day parades. All of the parades will take place on Monday, May 27. Starting places for the parades are listed in parentheses.

  • South Killingly Memorial Day Parade 9:00am to 10:00am (Hall Hill Road and Cook Hill Road)

  • East Killingly Memorial Day Parade 11:00am to 12:00pm (Route 101, Bailey Hill Road and Bear Hill Road)

  • Danielson Memorial Day Parade 1:00pm to 2:00pm (Main Street)

  • Dayville Memorial Day Parade 2:00pm to 3:00pm (Route 101 and High Street)

Plainfield

American Legion Post 91 will hold a number of events between 8:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 26.

The Plainfield Veterans of Foreign Wars will hold services on Sunday at the following locations:

  • 8 a.m. at the Joan of Arc monument at St. John’s Church

  • 8:30 a.m. at the Old Plainfield Cemetery, Cemetery Road

  • 9 a.m. at Canterbury Town Hall

  • 9:30 a.m. at Packerville Baptist Church, Packerville Road

  • 10 a.m. at St. John’s Cemetery, Route 12

  • 10:30 a.m. at the Plainfield Firehouse

  • 11 a.m. at the Plainfield Veterans Park

Sprague

Please join us in remembering the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country in the military at our 2024 Memorial Day Parade to be held on Monday, May 27 at 10:00 am.

The parade will start on Route 97 in Baltic north of the Shetucket River, by the former Baltic Mill lot, home of the new Jaypro Sports location at 14 North Main Street, Baltic, and will go through the village of Baltic, heading south onto Main Street,, left onto River Street, back onto Main Street, heading north, ending at the War Memorial Park which is located at the intersection of Main Street and West Main Street.

Sponsored by American Legion Post 85, Baltic Fire Department and the Town of Sprague.

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This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Memorial Day celebrations in Norwich and local towns