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Central Pennsylvania communities mark Memorial Day with ceremonies, parades

Communities across Central Pennsylvania will mark Memorial Day with parades, services and other acts of remembrance on Monday, May 28. Here’s a list of pa...
Lancaster Memorial Day

Communities across Central Pennsylvania will mark Memorial Day with parades, services and other acts of remembrance on Monday, May 28.

Here’s a list of parades and services sent to FOX43.

If your community’s event is missing, send the information to news@fox43.com.

ADAMS COUNTY

Gettysburg Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony

The parade will begin at 2 p.m. at Lefever Street, head northeast to Middle Street; turn west on East Middle Street and south on Baltimore Street to the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg National Military Park, Baltimore Pike.

The ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. at the Rostrum in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. This year’s keynote speaker will be Brigadier General John S. Laskodi, the Commanding General of DLA Distribution, United States Army, the global distribution service provider for the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.

The events are presented by the Gettysburg Joint Veterans Memorial Day Commission consisting of veterans’ organizations in Gettysburg: Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War — Gettysburg Camp No. 112; American Legion Post No. 202; Marine Corps League Detachment No. 705, and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 15.

These events are also the beginning of the “One Hundred Nights of Taps.” Taps will be played each evening at 7 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day in the National Cemetery, sponsored by the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in partnership with Taps for Veterans and Gettysburg National Military Park.
New this year will be buglers coming from more than 15 states, including professionals, veterans, teachers, students, reenactors, and others who assist in the Taps ceremony at military funerals.

There will be an expanded opening ceremony on Memorial Day, that will begin at 6:15 p.m. with a musical program. Along with special guests, the Maryland Military Band will perform The National Anthem, “Washington Post” by Sousa, “DAR March,” “God Bless America” and “Amazing Grace.”

Taps will be sounded at 7.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Carlisle Memorial Day Parade and Services

The Joint Veterans Council of Carlisle will hold the annual parade starting at 9 a.m., with services following at 9:30 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Courtyard, South Hanover Street. Guest speaker will be Taro Landis, Carlisle Police Chief, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

In the event of inclement weather, the parade will be canceled, with ceremonies held in Old Courthouse.

Mechanicsburg Memorial Day Parade

The Mechanicsburg Area Veterans Council will hold a Memorial Day parade at 10 a.m., followed by a ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Mechanicsburg Cemetery  GAR monument, Marble Street. Guest speaker will be Thomas Faley, Colonel, U.S. Army, retired.

Inclement weather: no parade, with ceremony held inside American Legion Post No. 109, 224 W. Main St.

New Cumberland Memorial Day Services and Parade 11:30 a.m.

Starting at 11:30 a.m., a service will be led by members of the American Legion Post No. 143 and Fox-Eichelberger VFW Post No. 7415 at the Veteran’s Memorial, Park Avenue and Bridge Street. Following the service, there will be a parade from the memorial to the VFW Post No. 7415, 214 Market St. The parade will be led by veterans and veteran service organizations, and include various community groups and the West Shore Band.

Upper Allen Township Memorial Day Service

The Vietnam Veterans of Mechanicsburg will hold the memorial service at 2 p.m. in the Lincoln Colored Cemetery (aka Historic Lincoln Cemetery and Upper Allen Freed Slave Cemetery), off Winding Hill Road and York Street.

The service will be held rain or shine.

DAUPHIN COUNTY

Camp Hill Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony

Sponsored by VFW Post No. 43, Camp Hill’s parade will step off at 9:30 a.m. from 19th and Market streets and continue to the fire hall, 2198 Walnut St. A ceremony will follow at 11 a.m. at the Camp Hill Cemetery (behind fire hall). Guest speaker will be  Lieutenant Colonel Roger N. Thomas, U.S. Marine Corps.

Inclement weather location: Camp Hill Borough Building, 2145 Walnut St.

Lower Allen Township Memorial Day Ceremony

Starting at 11 a.m., the ceremony will be held at VFW Post No. 7530, 4545 Westport Drive. Guest speaker will be Christopher Tew, U.S. Army War College.

Hummelstown Memorial Day Services and Parade

Several services will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the cemetery behind Zion Lutheran Church, 100 W. Main St.; at 8:45 a.m. at the Stoverdale United Methodist Church cemetery, 1760 Wood Road, and at 9 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church cemetery, 850 Hill Church Road. The parade is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., and the borough’s ceremony will be held at the Hummelstown cemetery, 186 S. Railroad St.

FRANKLIN COUNTY

Shippensburg Memorial Day Services and Parade

Held by the Joint Veterans Council of Shippensburg, services will be held at 10 a.m. at Locust Grove Cemetery, North Queen Street, and at 11 a.m. at Spring Hill Cemetery, 114 N. Morris St. A flag raising ceremony begins at noon in Veterans Memorial Park, 100 Park Place, and the Navy and Marine memorial services will start at 1:15 p.m. at Branch Bridge, King Street.

The parade steps off at 2 p.m. from the corner of King and Prince streets.

LANCASTER COUNTY

Maytown Parade and Memorial Service

Veterans’ graves will be decorated at Maytown Reformed Cemetery at 3 p.m. Monday, followed by Lutheran/Union Cemetery. Parade begins at 4 p.m., followed by a memorial service in the square. Featured speaker is U.S. Air Force Sgt. Gene Shawaryn.

Lancaster

VFW Post 1690 will hold Memorial Day ceremonies at 9 a.m. Monday at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Penn Square, and at 10 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial at Riverview Cemetery on South Duke Street.

Both ceremonies will feature “Taps” and a 21-gun salute.

Maytown

The annual Memorial Day Parade will begin at 4 p.m., concluding with a ceremony immediately after. The featured speaker will be Donna Hershey, a local retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. The ceremony will feature performances by the Donegal Intermediate School 5th and 6th grade chorus, a selection of patriotic music from the Bainbridge Band, and renditions of “God Bless America” and the poem, “In Flanders Fields.” Wreaths will be placed on the veterans’ markers, and the ceremony will conclude with “Taps” and the National Anthem.

Quarryville

The Quarryville Lions Club will sponsor a Memorial Day program at 10 a.m. Monday at Memorial Park. Speaker will be state Senator Ryan Aument, a U.S. Army captain during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In case of rain, the program will move to the Solanco Fairgrounds.

Strasburg

Strasburg Area Sertoma Club, in cooperation with the former Paul R. Strubel Post No. 8710 VFW, will sponsor a parade at 9 a.m. Monday, followed by a service at 10:30 a.m. at Strasburg Cemetery. The public is encouraged to decorate bicycles and join the parade, which will feature floats and three marching bands. Clayton L. Frackman, a Korean War veteran, will be honorary grand marshal. Two Gold Star mothers — Denise Torbert, mother of Cpl. Eric M. Torbert, and Barb Bernard, mother of Sgt. 1st Class Brent Adams — will speak.

The parade will be cancelled if it rains, and the service will be moved to the Fellowship Hall of First Presbyterian Church of Strasburg.

LEBANON COUNTY

Lebanon

Lebanon’s Memorial Day parade begins at 9:30 a.m., at 8th and Cumberland streets. It will proceed east along Cumberland, then north on 4th St., and finally west on Lehman Street. until arriving at Monument Park, where a ceremony will be held at the parade’s conclusion.

Palmyra

Palmyra’s Memorial Dady parade begins at 9 a.m. The parade starts at the corner of Railroad and Cherry streets. It will proceed south on Railroad to Maple St., then east on Maple, north on Green St., west on Main St., and south on Locust St., concluding at the Palmyra Middle School.

A memorial service will follow at the middle school at around 10:30 a.m.

PERRY COUNTY

New Bloomfield Memorial Day Parade and Service
New Bloomfield VFW Post No. 7463 will hold a parade and service. The parade will begin at 9 a.m. at the New Bloomfield Borough Office, 25 E. McClure St., and proceed to Main Street via Barnett Woods Road, continuing west through the town square and will make a left onto Apple Street, proceeding to the New Bloomfield Cemetery for the salutatory festivities. Parade marshal will be Andy Shope.

Guest speaker for the service will be Stephen Naylor, County Commissioner.

Inclement weather: no parade, with the service held at 10 a.m. in the chapel of Carson Long Military Academy, 200 N. Carlisle St.

YORK COUNTY

Boiling Springs Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony

Hosted by Boiling Springs VFW Post No. 8851, the parade will begin at 1 p.m. at Iron Forge Education Center parking lot, 4 Forge Road, and will proceed through downtown Boiling Springs. It will end at the Veterans Memorial Clock Tower at Children’s Lake, where a short memorial service to honor the men and women of our Armed Services will be held. Boiling Springs native and veteran Tom Hayes will be the guest speaker.

A free picnic will held in the Boiling Springs Tavern parking lot.

Inclement weather location: Boiling Springs High School auditorium.

Silver Spring Township Memorial Day Ceremony

Silver Spring’s Memorial Day ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. at Willow Mill Park, 80 Willow Mill Park Road. Guest speaker will be Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Babich, U.S. Army War College. The ceremony will end with the playing of taps and raising of the flag to full staff. The public is encouraged to bring their own seating.

An open house will follow, that includes a guided tour of the 20-by-50 foot memorial. The tour lasts an estimated 30 minutes.

Inclement weather: held under a covered pavilion nearby.

York City

Vietnam Veterans of America. org, Chapter 1032 of York will have their Annual Memorial Day Ceremony on May 28, at 9am At the York Fair Grounds, Carlisle Entrance, by the Vietnam Memorial.  Seating will be provided and the Public is welcome.

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