Memorial Day activities throughout Warwick
WARWICK At the end of the Civil War, it’s been said, some soldiers noticed a woman and her children clearing a grave covered in weeds. They laid fresh flowers instead to honor their fallen hero. The soldiers were so moved, the story goes, that they decided to establish a national Decoration Day to honor the soldiers who had been killed in wartime by doing the same. The idea of Memorial Day was born. There are other stories about how the day was created, including one where a Waterloo, N.Y., druggist, Henry C. Welles, first mentioned in 1865 that those who died during the Civil War should be honored by decorating their graves. The townspeople loved the idea and made wreaths and bouquets to place on the veteran’s graves. Flags flew at half mast on that first Memorial Day, May 5, 1866, in Waterloo. The day changed to the 30th of May, when it is still traditionally observed, although it is officially observed on the fourth Monday in May. This Monday, May 28, our nation will observe Memorial Day at a time when we are at war again. We will never forget those who gave their lives for the freedom we now enjoy. There will be four ceremonies throughout the town Monday to honor Warwick’s veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice: Pine Island. The first event begins at the Polish Legion of American Veterans (PLAV). Line up for the parade is at 7:30 a.m. After proceeding to St. Stanislaus Church for an 8 a.m. Mass, the participants will parade through Pine Island at 9 a.m., then to St. Stanislaus’s Cemetery for a service. They will head back toward the PLAV, to the new Veteran’s Memorial on Legion Road and Pulaski Highway to place a wreath. The Legion will have a ceremony to dispose of any unusable flags at the PLAV. Village of Warwick. Line up for the village’s Memorial Day parade is at 10 a.m.; the parade begins at 11 a.m. Marchers will walk through the village to Warwick Cemetery for a service, then on to St. Stephen’s Cemetery for another service. Village of Florida. Festivities in the Village of Florida begin at noon with a mass at St. Joseph Cemetery off Union Corners Road. The participants will then walk over to the Jewish Cemetery for a short service. AT 1:30 p.m., line-up begins at the Village Hall for a 2 p.m. parade down Main Street. At the Dunkin’ Donuts, they head back through the village to the Florida Cemetery on Bridge Street, where a service concludes the activities. Village of Greenwood Lake. A 2 p.m. outdoor service at the American Legion Hall will honor the village’s war dead. Food will follow.