© 2024 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Memorial Day Events Scheduled Around The Region

Jenna Dooley
/
WNIJ

Communities across the country hold parades and ceremonies for Memorial Day.  An incomplete list of observances in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin follows. Cities are listed in alphabetical order. Unless otherwise noted (*), the events take place on Monday, May 30.

Algonquin holds a Memorial Day Ceremony at 10:30 a.m.at Riverfront Park, 201 N. Harrison St. The ceremony will include guest speakers and singers, 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps

Aurora: activities include a parade at noon in downtown Aurora starting at River & Benton Streets, heading east to Broadway, north to Downer Place and ending back on River Street.  Immediately prior to the parade, a special Re-Dedication and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. to commemorate the re-opening of the historic Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Memorial Hall.  The Hall will be open for public tours following the parade.

Beloit, WI: parade downtown starting at 9 a.m.

Cary holds a parade at 10:15 a.m., starting at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, First Street and Three Oaks Road. The Parade will be followed by a ceremony at Cary Veterans Park, which will end before noon.

Crystal Lake: American Legion Post 171 will conduct its annual parade starting at Crystal Lake Central High School, then east on Franklin Avenue, north on Williams Street and west on Woodstock Street to Union Cemetery for a memorial service. The Fountains at Crystal Lake, Service Member’s Club, holds a service at 10a.m.

DeKalb: Memorial Day Parade and Program begins with the parade at 9 a.m. at N Third St. and Lincoln Hwy ending at the Ellwood House. The program is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on the lawn of the Ellwood House. The DeKalb High School Marching Band and Huntley and Clinton Rosette Middle schools will be performing as well as the DeKalb High School Choir. Tours of the Ellwood House Mansion first floor will be free until 12 p.m. that day.

Earlville: ceremony at 10:30 a.m. at Precinct Cemetery. If it rains, activities will be in the Community Building. Methodist pastor Sandy Smith will be the speaker. Limited seating will be provided at the cemetery, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs.

Elgin: Memorial Day activities include a Catholic Mass at Mount Hope Cemetery, 8:45 a.m.: service at Lakewood Memorial Park, 9:15 a.m.; program at Elgin Veterans Memorial Park, 9:45 a.m. especially for naval veterans, program at Bluff City Cemetery, 11:00 a.m.

Fox River Grove: parade at 8:30 a.m., starting at Algonquin Road School, 975 Algonquin Road. Parade will continue to South River Road to Lions Park, 747 S. River Road, for a program.

Freeport: parade at 10 a.m. in downtown Freeport followed by a ceremony at the courthouse.

Harvard: Memorial Day Ceremony at 10:15 a.m., St. Joseph Catholic Ceremony, 21087-21175 E. Brink St. In the event of rain, the ceremony will take place at Harvard High School.

Hebron holds a Memorial Day Service, 9:30 a.m., Tigard Gymnasium at Alden-Hebron High School Gym, 9604 Illinois St.

Huntley:  parade at 11 a.m., starting at the Huntley Municipal Complex, 10987 Main St. The parade will head west on Main Street to the Huntley Square Gazebo for a brief ceremony.

Janesville, WI: Memorial Day activities begin with ceremonies at Oak Hill Cemetery from 8 – 9 a.m. and Milton Lawns Memorial Park and Chapel Mausoleum from 9:30-10:00 a.m. The city’s Memorial Day Parade & Ceremony start at 11:00 a.m. The parade will begin at Milwaukee St. And High St. and travel down into Traxler Park. A ceremony will then take place there at 11:30 a.m. with a luncheon following at the Janesville VFW Club.

Johnsburg: ceremony and parade at 9 a.m., starting at the Waterfront Hotel & Marina by the Chapel Hill Bridge. A river wreath ceremony will be conducted. The parade follows the ceremony and will proceed directly to the Johnsburg Community Club for a program at the Armed Forces Memorial. A baseball game will follow.

La Salle: The La Salle Veterans Home, 1015 O'Conor Ave., will host a memorial service at 1:30 p.m. for veterans who died in the past year.

Leland: Cub Scout Pack 114 will host a pancake and sausage breakfast from 7 to 9:30 a.m. at the Lions Club Pavilion. At 10 a.m., a parade, featuring Leland junior and senior high school marching bands, will proceed to the cemetery at the north end of town for the service, featuring a presentation and guest speakers.

Long Point: American Legion Post 1217 services will begin at 10 a.m. at the firehouse, 302 Market St.

Loves Park: Young at Heart Festival runs Friday-Monday (Memorial Day) from 12-6pm at Loves Park City Hall.

Marengo: ceremonies and a parade beginning at at 8 a.m., Riley Cemetery; 8:15 a.m., Maple Street Cemetery; 9 a.m., Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery; 9:15 a.m., Calvin Spencer Park; 10:40 a.m., Marengo City Cemetery. The Marengo High School Band will perform for the public at 10:15 a.m., in front of the Marengo Fire Department, prior to marching with the Legion to the city cemetery for a 10:40 a.m. remembrance.

Marseilles: Marseilles American Legion member Hank Roe will present a special program about the late Army Air Staff Sgt. Harold Hetelle, of Marseilles at 11 a.m. inside the American Legion Hall, 571 Rutland St.  Air Force veteran Lance Sires will serve as the master of ceremonies and will play service songs from all branches of the military. At about noon — depending on the weather — the observance will move to the veterans memorial and Avenue of Flags at Riverview Cemetery, where the names of those servicemen from Marseilles killed in action will be read aloud and a 21-gun rifle salute given.

McHenry: ceremony at 10 a.m., at Veteran’s Memorial Park, 3400 Pearl St., McHenry. Lunch served free to veterans, in-kind donations for others.

Oglesby: Oglesby American Legion Post 237 will coordinate a program scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in Memorial Park. If it is raining, the program will be at Washington School. The featured speaker will be Oglesby resident Jack Leininger, a 32-year Army helicopter pilot who served in Vietnam. The Washington School Concert Band will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner." A trumpet trio will perform "Grant Us Peace." The Washington School Concert Choir will sing "Amazing Grace." A bell will be tolled for each of 38 Oglesby residents who died in the service of their country.

Ottawa: The Ottawa Memorial Association’s program will start with a 9:30 a.m. wreath ceremony at the Fox River Bridge on East Main Street, honoring all Navy mothers. A parade then will proceed up Columbus Street to Washington Square for a 10 a.m. ceremony. At the park, veterans groups will conduct flag ceremonies.  The Ottawa High School and Shepherd Middle School bands will perform. The guest speaker will be Lt. Col. Cheryl Strange.

Peru: Members of Peru’s American Legion Post 375 and the public will meet at 11 a.m. at the corner of 10th and West streets for a short walk to Washington Park’s ball diamond for a memorial service. Cmdr. Michael Trench, a retired Navy aviator, will be the guest speaker.

*Princeton: Memorial Day Parade on Saturday, May 28th starting at 10 a.m. from the corner of Princeton Avenue and Nassau Street and going to Princeton Monument Hall (1 Monument Drive/45 Stockton Street) A short ceremony at the Hall follows at 11 a.m.

Ransom: Activities sponsored by American Legion Post 674, begin at 10:30 a.m. on Main Street.

Rockford: Memorial Day parade and program begins at 9 a.m. The parade will line up near the intersection of 7th St. and 6th Ave, proceed north on 7th St. to Charles St., Charles St. to State St., travel west on State St., turn north on Main St. then proceed to Beattie Park where the parade will end. Once the parade has ended, approximately 10:30 AM, the Memorial Day Program in front of Veterans Memorial Hall will begin. The Memorial Day activities will continue with the annual riverside Sinking of the Ship ceremony presented by the Navy Club Ship #1 behind the Downtown Rockford Public Library immediately following the Memorial Day Ceremony.

Sandwich: Lewis P. Schultz VFW Post 1486 and Brown-Miller American Legion Post 181 of Sandwich will hold services beginning at 11 a.m. at the gazebo in Veterans Park on Railroad Street in downtown Sandwich, followed by 11:20 a.m. services at Oak Ridge Cemetery on Suydam Road. Ceremonies will continue near 11:40 a.m. at St. Paul's Cemetery on West Sandwich Road, then at noon at Pratt Cemetery on Pratt Road, followed by services at 12:20 p.m. at Pine Mound Cemetery on Rogers Road. Closing ceremonies begin at approximately 12:40 p.m. at the VFW Post, 713 S. Main St.

Seneca: American Legion Kasal Post 457 will host a ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Memorial Wall, to the south of the library. The Seneca High School band will perform and Pastor Kihwan Choi, of First United Methodist Church, and a veteran of the South Korean army, will deliver an address. A rifle salute will be fired and taps played. A reception will follow at the library. In case of inclement weather, the event will take place in the library.

Sheridan: A breakfast will be from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the American Legion Hall, 300 W. Si Johnson Ave. The names of those who participated in wars since Vietnam will be read. After the breakfast, Legion members will award student essay winners from Community Unit 2 School District. An American Legion flag ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at Sheridan Cemetery, where Post 729 historian Howard Buckle will speak about fallen armed service heroes. A gun salute featuring a Legion honor guard will conclude the services.

Somonauk: festivities begin at 10 a.m. with a parade led by veterans, which also will include the school band, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. A cake walk will follow the parade. The Somonauk Education Boosters will host a pork chop dinner from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. behind Heartland Bank, 128 S. Depot St. The fire department will participate in 1 p.m. water fights on DeKalb Street between Depot Street and the alley next to the fire station.

Spring Grove: parade & ceremony at 9 a.m. starting at the Spring Grove Fire Department, 8214 Richardson Road, and traveling to Horse Fair Park. A short procession followed by a ceremony

Spring Valley: American Legion Memorial Day Services will be held at 2 p.m. at Valley Memorial Park, 13312 IL Hwy. 89, Spring Valley.

Streator: Assembly and posting of the color guards will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the West Main Street bridge. A wreath will be cast in memory of Navy veterans lost at sea from World War II.The group will proceed to Veterans Plaza. At 11 a.m. will be the posting of the colors and firing squad and posting the flag to half-staff. The Pledge of Allegiance will be recited. The invocation will be given, followed by the placement of the wreath at Veterans Plaza by the American Legion Auxiliary and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary. A moment of silence is planned for departed comrades. Bob "Willy" Williamson will give the address. Henry Araujo will give final comments, followed by a firing squad salute and the benediction.

*Toluca: St. Ann Parish will host a ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 31, at the American Legion Hall. The mayor will speak and the names of deceased veterans will be read, with the firing of a volley. Refreshments will follow.

*Tonica: The Tonica American Legion will host a Memorial Day service at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, at the old cemetery adjacent to Tonica Methodist Church. The services, presented with a local Civil War re-enactment group, will be dedicated to Civil War veterans buried at the cemetery. Col. Rick Keating, who heads the First Illinois Battalion (a Civil War re-enactment organization), will present remarks about the Civil War. The La Salle-Peru High School band also will perform. Following the ceremony, an ice cream and cake social will take place in the church hall.

Union: parade at 9 a.m. starting at Marengo-Union Rescue station, 6505 Main Street.

Utica: A parade will step off from Utica's Community Hall, at the corner of Mill and Church streets, at 9 a.m. Hosted by the Pierce Davis American Legion Post 731, the parade will lead to a short ceremony at Danny Carey Memorial Park. The procession will then continue to Oak Hill Cemetery, St. Mary’s Cemetery and Waltham Cemetery.

Wenona: Services will begin at 10 a.m. in City Park, also known as Andrew Bishop Memorial Park. If raining, services will take place at American Legion Post 8, at the corner of First and Walnut streets.

Woodstock: parade & ceremony at 10 a.m. starting on the Woodstock Square. Ceremony will follow the parade.

Guy Stephens produces news stories for the station, and coordinates our online events calendar, PSAs and Arts Calendar announcements. In each of these ways, Guy helps keep our listening community informed about what's going on, whether on a national or local level. Guy's degrees are in music, and he spent a number of years as a classical host on WNIU. In fact, after nearly 20 years with Northern Public Radio, the best description of his job may be "other duties as required."