Memorial Day in Bucks County to honor fallen with services and parades
Memorial Day in Bucks County will again bring out the red, white and blue to remember the ultimate sacrifice of our fallen military.
Towns across Bucks County will honor these men and women, and their families, with parades, memorial services and other special events over the holiday weekend.
“Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. The purpose of Memorial Day is to memorialize the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country,” said John Scala, chairman of Warrington Township Veteran Affairs Committee. “We are proud to be a part of Warrington Township's annual Memorial Day ceremony that honors and recognizes citizens from our community who served our country."
Warrington is one of about a dozen observances in Bucks County. Here's a list of ways to honor Memorial Day in the county:
Memorial Day events Saturday in Bucks County
The Penndel-Hulmeville Memorial Day Parade begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. The parade will march onto Ford Avenue and then turn right onto Main. It will follow Main to Hulme Avenue and Hulme to Bellevue, where it will pause at the memorial for a prayer before continuing to Woodland, then to Hulmeville Road. The parade ends at the Penndel Memorial Ball Field. A reviewing stand will be set up at the end of the parade featuring parade officials and honored guests.
Plumstead Township will conduct its annual Memorial Day Observance at 9 a.m. Saturday, at the Township Veterans Park, 5775 Easton Road. The observance will be led by the Plumstead Township Veterans Committee. During the flag ceremony, the Young Marines and the Doylestown Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol Cadets will first raise the flag and then lower it to half-staff. On Memorial Day, the flag is flown at half-staff until noon when it is then raised back up to full-staff.
The Warrington Township Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, rain or shine, at the Igoe Porter Wellings Memorial Field, 3095 Bradley Road. The event will honor Charles D. Baxter, U.S. Navy vet who served in Korea, and will be added to the Memorial Wall. It will also feature a wreath presentation by Dennis Igoe. Igoe’s brother Bill, a resident of Warrington, died on July 11, 1967 while serving in the Army during the Vietnam War. State and township officials and first responders will also be in attendance.
Tullytown will not hold its parade this year, but the Memorial Service at the Monument on Main Street and Fallsington Avenue, and at the Monument at Tullytown Cemetery at 9:30 a.m. will go on. There will also be a small picnic at 3 p.m. Saturday at Canal's End Park behind Walmart. Bring chairs and or blankets, and any food you like. Hot dogs and refreshments will be served. Music will be playing.
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Sunday event in Upper Makefield
On Sunday, Washington Crossing Historic Park will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony at 1 p.m. at the gravesite of Continental soldiers. The gravesite is located near the Thompson-Neely House, about two miles south of New Hope at the intersection of Route 32 and Aquetong Rd. (1638 River Road, New Hope).
The observation will include a colonial color guard, a fife and drum corps, Revolutionary War reenactors, veterans, and other honored guests. During the ceremony, American flags will be placed on all of the graves.
The gravesite marks the resting place of soldiers who died during the Continental army’s December 1776 encampment in Bucks County. Although no Americans were killed during the Delaware River crossing and the First Battle of Trenton, some soldiers succumbed to exposure, disease or previous injuries. Captain-Lieutenant Moore is the only veteran buried in this plot whose identity is known.
Monday events for Memorial Day
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On Monday, American Legion Post 317 in Yardley will begin Memorial Day observances at 7 a.m. with rifle salutes at sites throughout the borough and Lower Makefield, including veterans cemeteries, Borough Hall and the Lower Makefield veterans monument. At 9 a.m., the ceremony begins at the the Yardley monument at Afton and Delaware avenues. The The Yardley-Makefield Memorial Day Parade follows at 11 a.m. from the Maplevale section of North Main Street. The parade will then march south on Main Street to the Yardley-Makefield American Legion Hall.
Newtown's celebration begins at 8:30 a.m. with an observance at St. Andrew's Cemetery, 81 Swamp Road. The Newtown Memorial Day Parade steps off at 9 a.m. at 660 Newtown-Yardley Road and will stop at the Newtown Cemetery, the World War I Monument, Newtown Borough Hall and at the Legion Hall on Linden Avenue. Annual Vintage Baseball Game following the parade at Pickering Field at noon, sponsored by the Council Rock Newtown Athletic Association.
The 104th Memorial Day Parade in Langhorne will take place May 29, beginning with ceremonies on the lawn of the Jesse W. Soby American Legion Post 148, 115 W. Richardson Ave. The parade will commence immediately afterward and make a circuit through the main streets of Langhorne, including Bellevue and Maple Avenues and Pine Street (Route 413). Musical guests will include the Avalon String Band, Tri-County Band, Patriots Brass, Ceo Naemh Pipe Band and Goodwin Combo String Band. A "Kids Bicycle Parade" with patriotically decorated bikes will be included. The bikes will be judged and prizes will be awarded in the Will Travel parking lot next to the Soby post immediately following the parade.
The Quakertown American Legion will commemorate Memorial Day on Monday with a parade starting at 9 a.m. The parade starts at Park Avenue and Main Street, proceeding north on 9th Street to Broad Street, then east until North 4th Street, north to Mill Street, and on to the Memorial Park, where the American Legion will conduct its program at 10 a.m. Following the Memorial Service refreshments will be served
The Joseph A. Schumacher VFW Post 1597 in Croydon will host its Memorial Day Parade starting at 11:30 a.m. Monday. The lineup will begin at Cedar Avenue and State Road, and the parade proceeds along State Road to Croydon VFW Post 1597 on Bellevue Avenue, and will be followed by a memorial ceremony.
Morrisville's Memorial Day Parade steps off from the Morrisville Presbyterian Church at 9 a.m. Monday. It concludes with a ceremony at the Morrisville Cemetery on South Pennsylvania Avenue. With the assistance of the Morrisville Fire Co., Morrisville Borough and the surrounding community, the celebration includes reenactors, active military, veterans, marching bands, and community organizations.
The Robert W. Bracken American Legion Post 382 in Bristol will start its Memorial Day observance at 9 a.m. Monday at the Bristol Borough Veterans Memorial at the corner of Farragut Avenue and Pond Street. Rounds also include: 9:30 a.m., St. Mark's Cemetery, Radcliffe Street; 10 a.m., St. James Episcopal Church Cemetery, Walnut and Wood streets; 10:30 a.m.: Bristol Cemetery, Route 13.
Doylestown Borough's annual Memorial Day Parade — at more than 150 years, it's billed as the country's oldest parade — begins at 10 a.m. After a flag raising at War Memorial Field, the parade leaves Central Bucks West High School, moves east on West Court Street, east on West State Street, north on Main Street, and east on East Court Street to Doylestown Cemetery. The parade ends at the cemetery with a 30-minute memorial service and wreath-laying.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County Memorial Day 2023 set with parades, services
