Memorial Day Weekend 2024: Events, Parades Around Nyack, Piermont

NYACK, NY — Several ceremonies and events are scheduled to take place in Piermont and the Nyacks for Memorial Day, part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

Rockland County's Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony at the Gulf War Memorial kicks off the long weekend at 10:30 a.m. Thursday: Haverstraw Bay Park, 21 Gagan Road, Haverstraw, NY 10927.

Here are events locally and nearby:

Friday, May 24

New City, 11:00 a.m. Memorial Day Ceremony at the Promenade of Heroes, Street Community Center, 31 Zukor Road, New City, NY.

Saturday, May 25

Nyack, 9:00 a.m. VFW Post 9215 and CR & RO Blauvelt American Legion Post 310 will be replacing flags at Oak Hill Cemetery, 140 Highland Avenue, Nyack, NY. There are over 900 veterans buried there with 2 of them being Medal of Honor recipients.

Congers, 10:30 a.m. The Veterans Memorial Association of Congers is hosting their annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony. Line up at 10:00 a.m. Parade to start at 10:30 a.m., immediately following the parade is a Memorial Ceremony at the VMA building at 66 Lake Road, Congers, NY, honoring all deceased veterans with a special tribute to those Congers residents who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Sunday, May 26

Montebello, 9 a.m. Annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony at Montebello Village Hall, One Montebello Road, Montebello, NY.

Orangetown/Tappan, 10 a.m. Raymond W. DeMeola VFW Memorial Post 1615/Veterans Walkway of Heroes Memorial Day Observance at Independence Avenue and Lester Drive, Tappan, NY.

Rockland County Veterans Coordinating Council, 12 p.m. Memorial Day Ceremonies starting at Frederick Loescher Veterans Cemetery, Brick Church Road, Spring Valley, and immediately following at the Gary Onderdonk Cemetery at Rockland Community College, Suffern, NY. Followed by the Korean War Ceremony at the south end of Onderdonk Cemetery.

Monday, May 27

Stony Point. Veterans’ Ceremony service at 8:30 a.m. at Mt. Rest Cemetery on West Main Street in Stony Point, NY. Memorial Day Parade at 9:30 a.m. begins on Ten Eyck Street and ends at Stony Point Town Hall with a ceremony honoring our veterans.

Nyack, 9 a.m. VFW Post 9215 and CR & RO Blauvelt America Legion Post 310 are holding their annual Memorial at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Oak Hill Cemetery, 140 Highland Avenue, Nyack, NY.

Haverstraw. 11 a.m. Memorial Day Service at the World War I Monument, Mount Repose Cemetery, Haverstraw 10927.

Hillburn, 9 a.m. Village of Hillburn’s Annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony. Parade will begin at the Suffern Central School Administration Building and proceed to the World War I Monument at the corner of Lake Avenue and Fourth Street for the Memorial Day Ceremony.

Palisades/Sparkill. John M. Perry Post American Legion Post 1044 of Sparkill Memorial Day Service 9 a.m., the Palisades Ceremony will be held at the War Monument Triangle Square, intersection of Closter Road and Route 9W. Parade and Ceremony in Sparkill to begin at 11 a.m. starting at Sparkill Firehouse and ending at Depot Square Town Park for Memorial Day Ceremony, approximately 11:50 a.m. food to follow.

Tappan, 9:30 and 11 a.m. Carl A. Schelin American Legion Post 1271 and the Tappan Volunteer Fire Association at 9:30 a.m. are hosting a Fireman’s Memorial at the Tappan Firehouse. Parade starts at 11:00 a.m. at the German Masonic Park with Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Tappan Memorial Triangle.

Airmont, 10 a.m. Memorial Day Ceremony by Town Hall.

New City, 10 a.m. William E. DeBevoise American Legion Post 1682 of New City will host the annual Memorial Day Parade. Assembly at Collyer Ave. and South Main St., New City, NY at 9:15 a.m. Parade kicks off at 10.00 a.m.

Piermont, 10 a.m. Piermont Fire Department parade in front of the VFW building at 562 Piermont Avenue, Piermont, NY.

Sloatsburg, 10:00 a.m. Village of Sloatsburg with the Sloatsburg American Legion Post 1643 will host a Memorial Day Ceremony at Village Hall. Parade will begin after and conclude at the Sloatsburg Cemetery.

Pearl River, 10:15 and 11 a.m. John H. Secor American Legion Post 329 to host the Annual Memorial Day Parade, line up at 9:45 a.m. Parade starts at 10:15 a.m. from Key Bank heading south to Braunsdorf Park by Police Booth for Memorial Day Service at 11 a.m.

West Nyack, 11 a.m. The Buffalo Soldiers in association with Mount Moor Historical Cemetery will host a service at Mount Moor Cemetery, located by the F-Lot at Palisades Center near Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Haverstraw, 11 a.m. Memorial Day service at 11:00 a.m. at the World War I Monument, Mt. Repose Cemetery, Haverstraw, NY.

Nyack, 11 a.m. CR & RO Blauvelt American Legion Nyack Post 310 and VFW Post 9215 continue a proud Village of Nyack tradition of honoring the men and women of our community who made the ultimate sacrifice preserving our freedoms. The parade kicks off at Artopee Way municipal parking lot in Nyack (55 Artopee Way). The route follows Main Street from Franklin Avenue down to Broadway where it continues along Broadway and turns left onto Depew Ave then turning right on Piermont Avenue and continuing until dismissed by our Post. The ceremony will follow at the upper level of Memorial Park. The lower level is off limits due to the Village reseeding project. Our Grand Marshal will be our own past Post Commander Frank Pappalardo, a proud Korean Era Army Veteran. Guest Speaker will be Col. John H. Leighton, USMC (Ret), a highly decorated Vietnam Era helicopter pilot and Past Commander of the RC Marine Corps League.

Suffern, 11 a.m. Mayor Curley and the Village Board invite you to the Memorial Day Parade, Ceremony and Community BBQ. The Parade will march up Lafayette Avenue. The Ceremony will be at Soldiers Monument, Washington Avenue. The Community BBQ will be on the lawn by the Gazebo following the ceremony.

Nanuet, 12 p.m. The Naurashank American Legion Post 794 and Jewish War Veterans of Rockland and Orange County are hosting a Memorial Day ceremony at Nanuet Park on Prospect Street, Nanuet, NY.

Orangeburg, 12:00 p.m. James H. Anderson American Legion Post 1199, Gun Salute at 61 Hunt Road, Orangeburg, NY.

Blauvelt, 12 p.m. Blauvelt Lions Club Memorial Day Ceremony in Lions Park, followed by light refreshments.

Spring Valley, 1 p.m. Anthony Moscarella American Legion Post 199 in conjunction with the Village of Spring Valley invite you to observe Memorial Day with our local veterans. This event will be held under the Mayor of Spring Valley Honorable Alan M. Simon. The Memorial Day service will be at Village Hall, Spring Valley, NY. Roll call and Rifle Salute for Spring Valley Military persons who were killed in war action.

West Nyack. 11 a.m. The Buffalo Soldiers of Rockland County, in partnership with the Friends of Mount Moor Cemetery, will host a Memorial Day Ceremony at Mount Moor Cemetery at 11:00 AM adjacent to DICK’s Sporting Goods. The ceremony will feature Retired US Army Colonel Kevin Branch as the keynote speaker, offering poignant reflections on the significance of Memorial Day and paying tribute to the courageous sacrifices of our fallen heroes. A special tribute will also be dedicated to Army Veteran John Vasser, a beloved member of the community and a distinguished Korean War veteran who passed away on Dec. 10, 2023, at the age of 92. Mr. Vasser’s remarkable service, including his Purple Heart recognition and receipt of the 2010 Rockland County Buffalo Soldier Award, will be honored and remembered during the ceremony.

West Nyack. Palisades Center will open at 1 p.m. on Memorial Day. See a Memorial Day banner created by Rockland County resident Anne Murphy with the assistance of Vietnam Veteran John Antonucci. Murphy, an American Gold Star Mother, has dedicated herself to preserving the memory of fallen soldiers and supporting veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families. The banner serves as a tribute to her son, Lt. Col. Michael L. Murphy, USMC, who tragically lost his life on Dec. 11, 2000, while test piloting the MV-22 Osprey Helicopter.

Thursday, May 30

Memorial Day Watchfires hosted by the Vietnam Veterans of America. All the ceremonies will begin at 11:30pm on the night of Wednesday, May 29. The fires will be lit at midnight and burn until midnight May 30, a period of 24 hours. Most of the Watchfires have Honor Guards and Rifle Salute Teams from the local town Police Departments or VVA Chapter 333.

Anyone wishing to retire flags can do so at any of the locations. A ceremony will be held at each of the four locations.

Friday, May 31

Clarkstown. Stars and Stripes Club hosting an honorary veteran breakfast at 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. at the Clarkstown High School South Cafeteria. Please RSVP by 5/17/24 to 914-589-2260.

As the observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military. The Rockland County Veterans' Coordinating Council hosts ceremonies, this year on Sunday (see above).

Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial kickoff to summer in the Hudson Valley. Here are two fun things to do over the weekend:

• Hudson Valley Resident Free Day May 26 at DIA:Beacon
• Local drive-ins. SEE: Nostalgia Updated: Orange County Drive-In Theaters Enchant Moviegoers

The history of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Waterloo, New York, is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town’s observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.