Your guide to Memorial Day events in and around Stark County
Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday in May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.
Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday through an act of Congress in 1971, and its roots date back to the Civil War era, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Unlike Veterans Day, Memorial Day honors all military members who have died in while serving in U.S. forces.
Why do we observe Memorial Day? Here's the true history of the holiday
This year, the holiday will be celebrated May 29.
Here's a look at Memorial Day parades and events in the Canton area:
Alliance
A Memorial Day breakfast will run 8 to 10 a.m. Monday at American Legion Post 166, 141 W. Main St. The Alliance Memorial Day pre-parade ceremony will take place 9:30 a.m. on Freedom Square in downtown. Contact Parade Marshal John Molesky at 330-821-7427 with questions. The city’s parade will kick off at 10 a.m., and a Memorial Day service will be held at noon at Alliance City Cemetery. During the parade, the American Legion Post 166 Auxiliary will walk the parade route and pass out flags and candy provided by American Legion Post 166. The American Legion Post 166 color guard will lead the parade, which is expected to take one hour. Organizers say participants should arrive at the cemetery about 11 a.m.
Canal Fulton
The parade will begin at 1 p.m. Monday and will travel from Lindsay Precast along Canal Street to City Hall.
Canton
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Monday at the McKinley Downtown Campus (formerly Timken High School), travel west on Tuscarawas Street, north on Elgin Avenue NW and conclude with an observance ceremony at the McKinley National Memorial.
The city will display national, state and city flags throughout the community on decorative light poles to honor the fallen and our military. The Greater Canton Veterans Council is the organizing sponsor of the parade.
Beach City
The parade will leave from Beach City Community Park at 10 a.m. Monday and march to the cemetery.
East Canton
The Lowell D. Oberly American Legion Post 667 Memorial Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m. Monday. The lineup will be at Browning and Noble streets. All participants should be at the site by 9:30 a.m. for placement. The parade route is west on Center Street, south on state Route 44, west on Church, north on Plum, and east on Noble.
Wrapped candy may be passed out during the parade. Participants should return to the starting area following the parade. For further information, if you wish to participate, or if you know anyone who would like to be part of the parade, contact the post commander.
Green
The parade, ceremony, breakfast, car show and picnic will be Monday. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at Green High School, 1474 Boettler Road, and end at Green Intermediate School, 1737 Steese Road. The pancake breakfast will be from 7 to 10 a.m. at Fire Station 1, 4200 Massillon Road. Breakfast is free, but donations will be accepted to benefit Furnace Street Mission Safety Forces Support Center.
The memorial ceremony will be at noon at Veterans Memorial Park, 1900 Steese Road. A free picnic lunch will be served at the John Torok Community and Senior Center after the memorial ceremony. Classic and specialty cars participating in the car show should enter the Torok Community Center parking lot prior to the parade and/or before the memorial ceremony begins. There is no entrance fee for displaying vehicles. The car show ends at 3 p.m. Cars participating in the parade should enter through the Queen of Heaven drive.
Hartville
The Memorial Day ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Park. A mounted unit from the Stark County Sheriff's Office will lead a procession from Village Hall to Memorial Park. Stark County Common Pleas Judge Taryn Heath will speak about the Veterans' Honor Court. Music will be provided by Olivia Gant, bagpiper Alan Stiver and Lake High School trumpeter Cameron Gregory.
Louisville
A Memorial Day service will be at 8 a.m. Monday at Evergreen Memorial Gardens, 2698 Broadway Ave. The service will include a roll call of all veterans interred between May 2022 and May 2023.
Magnolia
The parade will form at the Finefrock/Gordon Funeral Home parking lot at 10:40 a.m. Monday. Sandy Valley American Legion Post 432 will conduct services beginning at 11 a.m. at the Magnolia Cemetery.
Marlboro Township
The parade will be at 1 p.m. Monday. Lineup will start at noon on St. Peters Church Road. A memorial service will follow at Marlboro Cemetery immediately after the parade.
Massillon
The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday at Eighth Street NE and Lincoln Way E, turn left on Erie Street and left on Tremont and conclude at Veterans Memorial Park. The annual Memorial Day ceremony will be at Duncan Plaza and Veterans Memorial Park at about 10:30 a.m.
Veterans Terry Roan and Rick Kettler will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Massillon’s Vietnam Memorial. An ensemble from the Tiger Swing Band will perform. Flags will be distributed for spectators to wave along the parade route. Political signs, handouts, and thrown candy will not be allowed. Veterans escorted by color guard members will place wreaths at monuments throughout Veterans Memorial Park to honor various branches of service.
Minerva
Memorial Day services will be Monday at Moultrie Chapel, 23577 state Route 172, according to the West Township Memorial Association. The chapel is two miles east of New Franklin, north of Minerva. It is two miles east of the state Routes 183 and 172.
The march to decorate the graves will begin at 2 p.m., led by the Don V. Cross American Legion Post 357 from Minerva. The Minerva Community Band will perform patriotic music and taps. United Elementary School fifth grader Amelia Whiteleather will recite the Gettysburg Address.
The program inside the chapel will include speaker Columbiana County Prosecuting Attorney Vito J. Abruzzino. Abruzzino is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps. Veterans in attendance will be recognized. Kendra Bertsch will provide special music, and Joseph Ellis will lead the congregation in group singing. Ice cream will be served after the program.
Navarre
The parade will step off at 1 p.m. Monday on Canal Street, in front of Village Hall, then travel up Main Street to Wooster Street, turning left on Columbiana Street to the cemetery. The observance will begin after the parade.
North Canton
The North Canton Lions Club Memorial Day parade will begin at 9 a.m. Monday. Parade participants will begin to assemble in the Memorial Stadium parking lot off Seventh Street NE at about 8 a.m. The parade will travel west on Seventh to North Main Street, then head south on North Main to Maple Street and end at Bitzer Park, 200 S. Main St., where there will be a memorial ceremony immediately after the parade.
North Lawrence
The North Lawrence Memorial Day Parade will form on Lawmont Street east of Alabama Avenue at 9 a.m. Monday. Joined by the Tuslaw High School Band and Tuslaw Boy Scout Troop 933, the parade will go north on Alabama Avenue, stopping at the North Lawrence fire station for a ceremony at the Memorial of Honor at 9:30 a.m.
The parade will continue to the Newman’s Creek Cemetery, located behind Chapel of the Cross United Methodist Church, where a memorial service will be held. North Lawrence Fire Department charter member Robert Eicher will be the parade marshal. The Rev. Phil Hoverstock of Chapel of the Cross United Methodist Church will give the invocation and benediction.
Tuslaw Boy Scout Troop 933 will raise the flag. The master of ceremonies will be George Urban. Jack Peterson of Boy Scout Troop 933 will recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Keegan Stutzman of Boy Scout Troop 933 will recite the Gettysburg Address. The group will sing "America the Beautiful." The guest speaker will be Massillon City Prosecutor Justin Richard. The Tuslaw High School Band will provide music and taps.
Perry Township
The Perry Township Remembrance Ceremony Veterans Recognition will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Perry High School Veterans Memorial, 3737 13th St. SW. The keynote speaker will be Command Master Chief Hershel Davis, U.S. Navy SEAL (retired). A veterans continental breakfast will be served following the service.
Memorial Day flag placement will be Sunday at Calvary Cemetery. 3469 Lincoln Way E. Opening service will be from 9 to 9:30 a.m. Placement of 2,500 flags on veterans’ graves will be after the service.
The HERO 5K Run-Walk will start at 8:30 a.m. Monday at Perry High School, 3737 13th St. SW. Register at ohiochallengeseries.enmotive.com. For information, visit https://www.herorun5krunwalk.com/. Register at https://ohiochallengeseries.enmotive.com/events/register/2023-hero-run-5k-run-walk.
Seville
The Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, 10175 Rawiga Road, will hold a Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony at 10 a.m. Sunday at the cemetery's rostrum (main flagpole). President of Special Operations Association Doug Godshall will be the keynote speaker. Guest speakers will be Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and U.S. Rep. Max Miller, R-Rocky River.
The 122nd Army Band, 555th Honors Detachment, will provide rifle volleys and Soldiers Cross presentation. Parking will be coordinated by local law enforcement and cemetery staff. Please follow their directions and posted signs. Those attending should arrive early, bring a folding chair if possible and an umbrella.
Waynesburg
The parade will form at the American Legion Hall, 166 E. Lisbon St., at 9 a.m. Monday. Sandy Valley American Legion Post 432 will conduct services beginning at 10 a.m. at the Sandy Valley Cemetery.
Wilmot
The Wilmot Cemetery Association will conduct the annual Memorial Day observance at Greenlawn Cemetery at 8:45 a.m. Monday. The observance will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War and the veterans of that war who are buried in the cemetery.
Ceremonies honoring all veterans will be conducted by the Beach City American Legion Weimer-Widder Post 549 and will include the reading of the Roll of Honor of veterans who are buried in the cemetery. Music will be provided by the Fairless High School Marching Band.
Association board member and retired Stark County Family Court Judge David Stucki will honor Korean War veterans and share the story of Sugar Creek Township resident and POW Vernon Judd, who died Feb. 15, 1951, and whose remains were identified June 14, 2019, and later interred at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair for comfort. Parking within the cemetery grounds will be limited to vehicles with handicapped placards.
In case of inclement weather, the event will be held at Faith Christian Academy, 511 W. Main St.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Memorial Day 2023 events in and around Canton, Massillon, Stark County
