May 24, 2008
Good morning from Collegeville,
Monday we will celebrate Memorial Day. This holiday commemorates the men and women who have died in military service to their country. The first “Decoration Day” was celebrated in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston, West Virginia. The official birthplace of Decoration Day is Waterloo, New York where they honored those who had died in the Civil War on May 5, 1866. The alternative name of “Memorial Day” was first used in 1882, but did not become common until after WW II. (source: Wikipedia”)
When I was a youngun in Upsala, we always had a Memorial Day service at the school and a parade down Main Street. Sometime after I left town in 1961, the practice died out. Then in the eighties, Lorna Koehn, a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, brought back the Memorial Day celebration in Upsala. I can still picture her marching in front of a group of children holding bunches of lilacs. The Lions Club added the offering of a picnic at City Park where they serve hamburgers and pie with ice cream. The children still wait in eager anticipation for the chance to collect the spent brass shells after the 21 gun salute. They make good whistles. I hope to see you there.
Be sure to take the time to honor those in your life who have passed on. If you happen to meet a service member, simply say “Thank you for serving”. They deserve our respect no matter what your position is on the current war.
The show this week is a live performance from the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park in Vienna, VA. Special guests include the all American bluegrass girl, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage plus internationally adored tenor Raul Melo. Enjoy the show and the rhubarb pie with ice cream.
“Riches are not an end of life but an instrument of life”. Henry Ward Beecher
Category : General 