Memorial Day is a day set aside to remember and honor the more than 1.3 million Americans who gave their lives in service to our nation since its birth in 1775.
Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
The tradition has been carried on through generations, in times of war and peace, and lives on in official observances across the North Fork each Memorial Day.
Memorial Day this year falls on its traditional date, May 30. (Since 1971 it has been observed on the last Monday in May pursuant to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.)
Here’s a list of services and parades taking place around the North Fork on Monday:
Orient Fire Department Memorial Day Parade begins at 7:30 a.m. at the firehouse on Main Road and will take Tabor Road, to Orchard Street, to Navy Street to Village Lane to Main Road and back to the firehouse.
Greenport Girl Scout and Boy Scout dockside service and parade will begin at 8 a.m. Participants will meet in the parking lot behind the Arcade at 7:45 and walk up Front Street and along Main Street to the dock, where Scouts will throw flowers into the water for remembrance. The event will be followed by refreshments at the Third Street firehouse.
Mattituck Fire Department wreath-laying ceremony will take place at 8 a.m., followed by a parade beginning at the corner of Wickham Avenue and Pike Street, continuing down Love Lane and ending at firehouse.
Southold Town Memorial Day Parade will be held in Greenport this year, commencing with a 10 a.m. ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park on the corner of First and Main streets.
Calverton National Cemetery Memorial Day ceremonies begin at 1 p.m.
