Local Events to Honor Memorial Day with Your Children

Teaching the meaning of Memorial Day to your children can be tricky. It's easy to get lost in the rush of picnics, parades and what many feel is the unofficial start to summer. However, communities all around the United States will hold celebrations to pay respect and remembrance to those who have died serving our country. These events can be a wonderful way to teach your children about the true meaning of Memorial Day. 

Locally, events include:

- Macungie's Flag Raising, Wreath Ceremony and Parade
- Emmaus's Memorial Day Parade
- Kutztown's Memorial Day Parade
- Steel Stacks Memorial Day events, taking place all weekend long

Did you know...

• Memorial Day was first called “Decoration Day” because of the practice of decorating soldier’s graves with flowers. Red Poppies are recognized as the Memorial Day flower.
• Since the late 1950′s on the Thursday just before the Memorial day, around 1200 soldiers of the 3rd U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, and tradition that continues to this day. 
• Since 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts participate in what they call their Luminaria Program.  They place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park on Marye’s Heights.
• In the year 2000, the National Moment of Remembrance Resolution passed. At 3pm on Memorial Day all Americans are asked to voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance & respect by pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence. 
• On Memorial Day, the flag should be at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.

Have a fun, safe, and memorable Memorial Day weekend!

"We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them." ~Francis A. Walker