Word of Honor
For many, Memorial Day means the end of school and the start of summer. But pool time and sunshine aren’t the reason for the holiday. It marks the day we remember and honor our fallen heroes.
From North to South, East to West, the Cincinnati area is full of parades, ceremonies and concerts to mark the day, Monday, May 27.
The Blue Ash Memorial Day parade begins at 10:15 a.m. at Reed Hartman and Cooper Roads. A ceremony follows at around 11:15 a.m. with a keynote address from Major General Leonard Randolph, Jr. The celebrations continue into the evening, when the Blue Ash/Montgomery Symphony performs a Memorial Day concert at Blue Ash Towne Square.
The Clifton Community Council will hold its annual Memorial Day community participation parade at 11 a.m. The parade participants walk to Mount Storm (streets will be closed); volunteers prepare a picnic, and a band will play.
Fairfield’s Parade begins at 10 a.m. on Dixie Highway with veterans groups, military units, the Fairfield High School Marching Band, community groups and organizations, the Fairfield Police Department, and Fairfield Fire and Paramedic units. It ends, fittingly, at Veterans Memorial Park and is followed by ceremony featuring speakers and a flag retirement ceremony.
In Hamilton, Memorial Day observances begin with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers Monument at 9:30 a.m. The parade follows, starting at the Butler County Historic Courthouse and ends at Greenwood Cemetery, where another ceremony will bookend the day.
Spring Grove Cemetery will host a series of events on Memorial Day weekend, beginning with Boy Scouts placing flags on soldiers’ graves on Thursday, May 23. The Ohio Military Band will also perform Thursday night.
On Memorial Day, rose petals will be scattered on the graves of Civil War soldiers, a custom dating back to 1868. A Civil War historian will also speak, and music of the era will be performed. Tours are available throughout the day, and in the afternoon, a Moment of Remembrance will be held, along with the playing of Taps.
One thousand American flags will be placed on graves at Arlington Memorial Gardens in Springfield Township beginning Friday, May 24, creating the Field of Memories. Events run throughout the weekend, including a a travelling 9/11 display. On Memorial Day, the gardens will observe a moment of silence at 3pm and the reading of the names at 3:15 p.m.
In Northern Kentucky, several time-honored traditions continue. The City of Florence hosts its annual parade at 10am, which begins at Boone Co. High School and ends at the Florence Govt. Building. An 11:30 a.m. ceremony follows to honor the fallen at the Veterans Memorial.
In Park Hills, the parade begins at 11:30 a.m. and ends with a ceremony in Trolley Park.