Wayne County Wanderings: Celebrating Memorial Day in Rural America

Thousands of folks lined Main Street in Honesdale Monday morning to witness one of the town's most beloved annual traditions.

At exactly 10 a.m., this year's edition of the Memorial Day Parade stepped off, signaling the unofficial start of summer. Fire trucks, tractors, horse-drawn carriages and high school bands made their way north up the Maple City's main thoroughfare under brilliant blue skies.

Happy children giggled as they scampered around the periphery, scooping up candy tossed from floats while the adults smiled at this much-anticipated return to small town normalcy.

The parade concluded at Central Park, where hundreds of people gathered around Art Fasshauer Memorial Stage to sing patriotic songs and listen to the inspiring words of local leaders.

Most of all, though, they came together to honor all those who've made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.

From the Heart

Major Alan Highhouse served as Keynote Speaker at the Memorial Day Ceremony in Central Park.

Highhouse was born and raised in Honesdale. He graduated from HHS in 1965, then continued his academic career at Lehigh University, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in business and economics.

Alan returned to Wayne County after college to start a business and raise a family. He's been the CEO of Highhouse Oil since 1969 and remains extremely active in the community at the age of 74.

Alan was appointed to the Wayne County Planning Commission back in 1992 and currently serves as its secretary. He's a Life member of Texas No. 4 Fire Company, a member of the Lakeville Fire Police and a volunteer for Wayne County's Office of Emergency Management.

Major Highhouse served for six years in the PA Army National Guard. He carried an M60 machine gun at his duty station, but also participated in selfless humanitarian efforts such as flood clean-up in the wake of Hurricane Agnes.

In recent years, Major Highhouse has served as a driving force behind the local Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the United States Air Force. He's currently Chief of Staff for Group 4, which represents Northeastern PA.

Alan has a deep and abiding respect for his community, his country and all who've served in the armed forces. And so, he was honored to accept the invitation to deliver this year's Keynote Address.

Major Highhouse chose as his theme the tragic deaths of 13 US service members killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul, Afghanistan last August.

“Any time something like this happens, I've always been so saddened to see the stories of the men and women who lost their lives,” he said.

“These folks had their whole lives in front of them. They were so young and full of life. And, they represent a cross-section of America … men and women who no doubt would have done great things in their lives.”

Major Highhouse went on to list the names of all those killed in this particular attack and mourn what we've lost now that they're gone.

“They were so young,” he said. “And, I'm sure they would have helped create a better world for all of us. That's what hurts the most.”

Major Highhouse's message seemed to resonate with the crowd, many of whom could be seen nodding their heads in agreement as he spoke … a fact that wasn't lost on him.

“I'm so proud to be a part of this wonderful community,” Alan said of Honesdale. “Every time we have an event like this honoring our country, the town always steps up to show their support.”

Alan and his wife, Linda, have been married for 43 years. They are the proud parents of two children and have two grandchildren.

A Bit of History

Memorial Day has its origin in the years just after the Civil War.

Initially, it was a very localized affair ... a day of quiet remembrance set aside to honor the memories of those who'd died fighting both for the Union and the Confederacy.

Surviving family members would head out to their local cemetery for a brief ceremony that featured prayers, hymns and flowers to be placed on graves.

“Decoration Day,” as it was first known, began in the deep south and quickly spread to the north. It was established three years after the war ended as a time for the nation to tend the graves of our honored dead.

General John Logan declared that Decoration Day would be observed each year on May 30.

The first formal event was held at Arlington National Cemetery.

Ceremonies centered around the Arlington mansion once the home of Robert E. Lee. The veranda was draped all in black as a sign of mourning.

Several famous folks, including General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the event.

Following a number of heartfelt speeches, boys and girls from the Soldiers and Sailors Orphan Home, along with members of the GAR, processed through the cemetery. Hymns were sung and prayers said while flowers were laid on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers.

Decoration Day caught on quickly, perhaps due to its obvious role in helping the nation heal ... at least psychologically ... from its terrible wounds.

Not surprisingly, the Northern states wasted no time in adopting the holiday as well. By 1868, memorial events were held in 183 cemeteries across 27 states. The following year, that number had grown to 336.

In 1871, Michigan made Decoration Day an official state holiday. By 1890, every northern state had followed suit.

A city in Pennsylvania has the distinction of hosting one of the longest-running Decoration Day ceremonies in the nation.

Doylestown, located in Bucks County, has held annual Memorial Day parades since 1868. City elders believe this to be the oldest continuously-running parade in the US.

Strangely, it wasn't until 1971 that Decoration Day became an officially recognized federal holiday, it's name forever changed to “Memorial Day.”

We Are Forever Grateful

After watching the parade and listening to the speakers at Central Park, I made my way up to Tallman Memorial Bridge.

There, a wreath was placed on the gently flowing waters of the Lackawaxen River, honoring the memory of all those who've laid down their lives.

My last stop was Veterans Park just off Fair Avenue next to the borough pool complex. At the stroke of noon, members of VFW Post 531 held a touching Memorial Day ceremony.

Three flowers (red, white and blue) were laid at the base of memorial marker, symbolizing the heroic dead, purity and eternity, respectively. New flags and a wreath were also installed as folks bowed their heads and listened to the mournful notes of Taps waft through the valley.

It was a poignant moment, and the perfect way to close out my Memorial Day travels this year.

From all of us here at the Tri-County Independent, a heartfelt thank-you to all who've sacrificed everything so that we might continue to live free.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale Memorial Day parade prompts reflection