Logan, issued General Order Number 11 to set aside May 30th as a day for remembering the sacrifices of fallen comrades, thereby beginning the celebrations of Memorial Day: On May 5, 1868, three years after the end of the war, the first G.A.R. Some early practices are linked to the establishment of the Grand Army of the Republic or G.A.R, the Union veterans’ organization, in 1866. There are stories of communities where widows and children carried flowers to the graves of those who died in the war. The origin of Memorial Day in the United States after the Civil War (1861-65) has been attributed to different individuals and locations, from Virginia to Pennsylvania and from Mississippi to Illinois. Visiting cemeteries to pay tribute to the dead has been carried out by different cultures throughout history. There are examples of this practice dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. ![]() Honoring the dead by decorating graves is not a new custom. These events set the stage for the more formal Memorial Day observation carried out by local veterans’ groups in the village on the 30th. Other activities will include train excursions, an antique car show, a parade, a variety of music and performances, arts and crafts vendors, and Civil War re-enactments. Last year, the 55 wooden cut-outs depicting heroes delighted events organizers and residents alike with their creativity. Last year he met a lady who arrived by train from Philadelphia.Īccording to Shaffer, the theme for this year’s event from May 23 to 25 will be “Let Freedom Ring.” Bells, cut from plywood, will be, individually decorated by organizations, businesses, and residents to be displayed throughout the village. “There’s a lot of patriotism in Waterloo,” says Duprey, who states they draw thousands of people. With the involvement of the Waterloo Business and Professional Association, the one-year event has continued and shows no sign of abating. Shaffer’s co-chair, Waterloo Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor Dave Duprey, says Celebrate Commemorate was conceived to mark the new millennium, and was spurred by First Lady Hillary Clinton’s arrival in the village aboard a large bus in 1998 with a banner reading, “White House Millennium Council.” Clinton was in Waterloo to dedicate the M’Clintock House at 14 East Williams Street, where the Declaration of Sentiments was drafted before the first Woman’s Rights Convention was held in nearby Seneca Falls in 1848. Committee members aim to bring the heritage of their hometown to life while respecting the true meaning of Memorial Day. Local businesswoman Jane Shaffer has been the co-chair of Celebrate Commemorate since its inception in 2000. But in Waterloo, May 30 remains the official date to honor the memory of veterans because this small Finger Lakes community has the distinction of being the official “Birthplace of Memorial Day.” Waterloo offers Celebrate Commemorate, community-wide activities for all ages which take place during the long holiday weekend and lead to the observance of one of America’s most patriotic holidays. After more than 100 years of being observed on May 30, the holiday then began changing the date from year to year. ![]() It was not until 1971 that President Richard Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday to be observed on the 4th Monday of May.
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