Here comes Memorial Day weekend, the first long holiday for the summer. Isn’t it great?
By now you have probably made lots of plans. The camp is open; the boat is in the lake; the garden is planted.
Outdoor grills have been out since March, along with the picnic tables and chairs
The deck is cleaned and you can sit back and enjoy a holiday weekend.
Memorial Day is still an old-fashioned
holiday where the ones who have died are remembered and the holiday is
celebrated much as it was a hundred years ago.
The festivities
begin with the parade in which all of the armed forces are represented
and politicians make speeches. All of the veterans’ graves are clearly
marked with American flags and cemeteries are all mowed and spruced up
for the occasion.
People who have moved away make the trip back
to their hometown to take part in the celebration or to decorate the
burial places of their loved ones. It is a time when folks who are
visiting the cemetery run into former neighbors and it’s just like “old
home week,” catching up with old friends.
Fortunately in
Canastota we have two veterans’ organizations, the Charles Miller Post
No. 140 American Legion and the VFW Post No. 600 that organize a parade
and prepare a ceremony at our veterans’ memorial in Clark Park.
There
are speakers and the placing of flags representing all the persons from
our community who sacrificed their lives to keep our country free.
Our community is fortunate in having these veterans’ groups that perform so many ceremonies at various occasions.
They are always so willing to assist when called upon to help in the community.
So,
this weekend your neighbors will have the pool filled to capacity, the
grill will be going full steam, the sound system will have music playing
the latest tunes and the young people will be enjoying themselves.
The seniors will be watching them enjoying their activities.
Mom
and Dad will be doing most of work, running back and forth to the
house, standing over the grill and being sure everyone is happy and
safe.
Mom or Grandma will be looking after the smaller children,
seeing to it that the little ones have their swim suits on and, once in
the water, keep watch of them.
But did you ever know a two- or
three-year-old who once in the water had to go to the bathroom so out
they would come and on the way see the hot dogs on the griddle and would
want one of those and wouldn’t go back in the pool again even though
that was all they wanted to do originally?
Have a great time and a safe Memorial Day.
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