Memorial Day weekend in Mount Pleasant culminates with parade on Monday
Memorial Day weekend activities in the City of Mount Pleasant culminate with the annual parade Monday.
Hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3033, the Memorial Day Parade begins at 10 a.m. on Monday. The parade route runs down Broadway Street from Kinney Street to Main Street.
Line up for parade participants is at 9:30 a.m. in the Napa Auto Parts parking lot at 709 E. Broadway St.
While Veterans Day honors everyone who served in the United States Military, Memorial Day is celebrated on May 30 to honor those who died in combat.
The website for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs explains that three years after the Civil War ended on May 5, 1868, Decoration Day was established for the nation to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. Decoration Day was declared to be observed on May 30 because it was believed flowers would be in bloom all over the country on that date.
After World War I, the day was expanded to honor the fallen soldiers of all American wars. Through the passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971, Memorial Day became an official holiday in 1971.
In December 2000, it was signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act” to ensure the sacrifices of fallen soldiers in American wars are never forgotten. The act encourages Americans to share a minute of silence at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day to honor those who lost their lives.
