Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day is a time to honor the brave people who have served and protected our nation, as well as those who still do. It’s a weekend of local celebrations – small, big, local, and extravagant – and we hope that the following list of happenings will help you narrow down your plans in Johnny Appleseed Country.

Ashburnham

Monday, 8:45 a.m., Assemble on Meeting House Hill, march in parade to old and new cemeteries. Parade ends at Town Hall, where there will be a prayer, reading of the Gettysburg Address and services by American Legion Auxiliary for unreturned dead of wars. Speeches by town/local leaders. Music by the Oakmont Regional High School Band.

Ashby

Monday, 10 a.m., Veterans organizations will decorate the Town Common. Memorial services will be held at West Cemetery at 1:30 p.m., The Ashby Common at 2:15 p.m., and the Glenwood Cemetery about 2:30 p.m. There will be a flag-raising at The Ashby Common about 3:15. Marching units will parade from American Legion Post 361 to the Revolutionary and 1812 Cemetery at 2 p.m. and to the Glenwood Cemetery at 2:30 p.m.

At end of the services, the American Legion Post 361 is hosting a chicken barbecue at the legion next to the church.

Athol

Monday, 8:45 a.m., Flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremonies will be held at VVA Park on Starrett Avenue; 9 a.m. at Phillips Park; 9:15 a.m. at VFW Park. Units and parade participants will assemble around the flagpole at 9:45 a.m. at Silver Lake Cemetery, with ceremonies beginning at 10 a.m. The parade will proceed down Silver Lake Street to Crescent Street. There will be a brief stop at the bridge over the Millers River to throw the Anchor Wreath into the river to honor veterans lost at sea, followed by a gun salute. The parade will continue down Main Street to Athol Veterans Park at Main and Exchange streets for the conclusion of the program. If it rains, ceremonies will be held at 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall.
Clinton

Monday, 9 a.m., The Memorial Day program will begin at in Central Park with a parade to follow. The parade will proceed on Main Street, stop at the World War I monument and then continue to Woodlawn and St. John’s cemeteries with ceremonies at each.

Fitchburg

Sunday, 10:30 a.m., annual Memorial Day Mass at St. Anthony Church, 84 Salem St. Following the mass, there will be a short dedication and wreath-laying service at the WWII memorial at the church. 6 p.m. Monument Park, Annual White Cross Ceremony.

Monday, 10 a.m., Memorial Day parade begins at M.E. Credit Union on North Street, behind the Fire Station. Parade will run up Main Street to Monument Park Gazebo, where a ceremony will be held.

Ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. with Fitchburg Veterans Service Officer T.J. Blauser hosting the ceremony. Speakers include Mayor Lisa Wong and state Rep. Stephen DiNatale.
LANCASTER

Monday, 9 a.m., Town Green, right outside Thayer Memorial Library at 717 Main S., event will include speeches, reading of the Gettysburg Address, music by the Nashoba Regional High School band. After the ceremony, there will be a procession to North Cemetery on Rt. 117.

Gardner

Monday, 8:30 a.m., Parade participants will assemble at the Polish American Veterans Square. Ceremonies will begin at 9 a.m. The parade will proceed to City Hall, the Spanish American War Memorial at Lafayette Square for ceremonies, and then to Monument Park. If it rains, all ceremonies will be held in the Gardner High School auditorium, starting at 9 a.m.

Harvard

Monday: The parade will begin at 10 a.m. from the Town Hall parking lot.

Leominster

Sunday, 2 p.m., Pfc. Jonathan Roberge’s name will be added to St. Cecilia’s War Memorial on Mechanic Street, followed by a reception at the Franco-American Veterans Club, 300 Water St.

Monday, 7:15 a.m., residents and veterans will assemble at the Leominster Veterans Center, 100 West St. Transportation will be provided to a series of cemetery and monument tributes, including The Common, in downtown Leominster, 8 a.m., St. Leo’s Cemetery on Lancaster Street, 8:30 a.m., St. Cecilia’s Cemetery on Florence Street, 9 a.m., Franco-American Veterans Club, 300 Water St., 9:45 a.m. and Evergreen Cemetery on Main Street, 10:30 a.m.

All veterans are invited and encouraged to march about one mile from Evergreen Cemetery to Carter Park on Main Street beginning at 11 a.m. A final Memorial Day Ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Carter Park.

Lunenburg

Sunday, 11:45 a.m. at Veteran’s Park. American Legion Post 283 will hold Memorial Day Services featuring speakers, music, and ceremonial activities.

Shirley

Sunday, 9:30 a.m., Memorial Day Services at the First Parish Church on the Common
11:30 a.m. , ceremony at the Shirley Village Cemetery on Harvard Road.
Noon, Ceremony at Saint Anthony’s Cemetery.
12:20 p.m. ceremony for our Navy veterans at the Bridge overlooking Phoenix Pond.
12:30 p.m., ceremony at the Village Cemetery Shirley center.
1 p.m., Memorial Service on the The Common, Shirley Center.
2:30, p.m., Parade to Whiteley Memorial Park, Front Street, Shirley Memorial Service and speech.
After the Whiteley Memorial Park ceremony, the parade returns up Front Street to the main flag pole for the conclusion of ceremonies, followed by a reception at the War Memorial Building, which all are invited to.

Sterling

Monday, 11 a.m., Sterling’s annual Memorial Day Parade will begin at Hillside Cemetery.
Buses for participants will start running at 10 a.m. from the Legion Hall on School Street to the Fire Station on Main Street, then to Hillside Cemetery on Route 62. Marchers will begin formation at 10:45 a.m. The parade will proceed to Oak Hill Cemetery, Old Cemetery, the Memorial Area behind the Fire Station, and to the town common for the observance program.
The Avenue of Flags will be on display from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hillside Cemetery, weather permitting. Anyone, including Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, who would like to help honor deceased veterans should arrive at the cemetery at 7:30 a.m. to help raise the flags.

Templeton
May 25: A Memorial Day parade and ceremonies will be held by American Legion, Post 373, with activities beginning in Otter River at 9 a.m. and continuing at 9:30 a.m. in East Templeton, and 9:45 a.m. in Templeton Center, and conclude with the Baldwinville parade at 10:30 a.m. The parade will begin at Narragansett Regional High School and move down to the Legion post where ceremonies will take place.
Veterans may meet at Legion headquarters in Baldwinville at 8:30 a.m. for a bus ride to Otter River for the start of the parade. Members of the firing squad and color guard are asked to report to the Legion headquarters for 7:45 a.m. ceremonies at Templeton cemeteries.

Townsend

Sunday, Marching units will gather for a memorial service at VFW Park in West Townsend at 1:30 p.m., then go to the Canal Street Bridge where flowers will be thrown from a decorated boat in honor of those service men and women who lost their lives at sea. Units will then go to the Riverside Cemetery for a service.

The Townsend Minuteman Company will fire a gun salute at Bicentennial Monument on the town common in honor of Revolutionary War veterans about 2:30 p.m. before marching units go to the Main Street Bridge for a gun salute and playing of Taps.

From there, the parade will go to Hillside Cemetery for a service and then back to the town common for a service at the Civil War Monument including readings of the Gettysburg Address and the poem Flanders Field.

Townsend Military Band will perform at the town common until about 5 p.m.

Westminster

Monday, 11 a.m.

Parade begins on corner of Main and Lovell streets, right outside 51 Main St. Parade proceeds down Main Street to the Town Commons on Academy Hill. People will gather there for speeches/services by public safety officials, Boy/Girl scouts, American Legion delegates, and music from Oakmont Regional High School Band as well as Westminster Elementary School band.