On March 25, residents of South County are invited to
participate in Gilroy’s traditional Memorial Day Parade and Family
Fun Day. Events will begin with a service of remembrance to honor
war dead sponsored by the local branches of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars and the American Legion at St. Mary’s Cemetery on First Street
beginning at 9 a.m.
On March 25, residents of South County are invited to participate in Gilroy’s traditional Memorial Day Parade and Family Fun Day. Events will begin with a service of remembrance to honor war dead sponsored by the local branches of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion at St. Mary’s Cemetery on First Street beginning at 9 a.m.
At 11 a.m., the parade will begin at the Caltrain Station on Monterey Street, heading north to 10th Street, and then heading west to Christmas Hill Park (ranch side). Grand Marshall Lawson Sakai, a prominent Gilroy veteran of World War II, will oversee a parade of marching bands, classic cars, tow trucks, police and fire vehicles, a stage coach, mounted horses and marching members of various community groups.
From 1 to 4 p.m., Christmas Hill Park will host a celebration to include picnics, refreshments for purchase, rock wall climbing, face painting, jump houses, a car show, crafts sponsored by Home Depot, fire engines, police cruisers, and rescue helicopters on exhibit. At 3 p.m., a moment of silence and respect will be observed.
A bit farther away, the Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of San Jose will offer two tributes to those who died to protect the freedom of our country. Priests from various parishes, choirs, and Knights of Columbus and American Legion members will combine their efforts to insure a memorable experience.
- Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 22555 Christo Rey Drive in Los Altos, will host a Veteran’s Tribute at 10:40 a.m., followed by a Mass celebrated by Bishop Patrick McGrath at 11 a.m. in the Lakeside Pavilion.
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Calvary Cemetery, 2655 Madden Ave. in San Jose, will host a similar event at the same time. The Mass will be celebrated by Monsignor Joseph Milani.
Perhaps these days, the national holiday of Memorial Day is best known for being the unofficial beginning of summer. However, it has a long history as a deeply significant time to honor those who gave their lives in our nation’s service.
The origin of Memorial Day is not entirely clear, but there is evidence that women in some southern states were decorating with flowers the graves of fallen soldiers before the Civil War (hence the former title, “Decoration Day”).
The village of Waterloo, N.Y., has perhaps the most official right to the honor of the nation’s first observance. On May 5, 1886, the town’s flags were flown at half-staff and villagers marched to the three local cemeteries to drape in black the graves of soldiers slain in the Civil War. In 1966, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and President Lyndon Johnson visited Waterloo and declared it the birthplace of Memorial Day.
Another first occurred May 5, 1868, when U.S. General John Logan issued an official order to place flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873.
Traditionally, Memorial Day was observed on May 30, but that custom was changed in 1971. The National Holiday Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Richard Nixon, insured that the holiday would fall on the “last Monday in May,” assuring a three-day weekend.
Some people today feel that this date change has led the public to forget the important significance of the holiday, undermining its true meaning. In 1999 bills were introduced in both houses of Congress to restore the holiday to its customary date of observance in order to regain its solemn spirit, but neither bill has yet passed.
