Memorial Day is more than the unofficial start of summer. It’s the one day set aside specifically to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to this country. Across Montgomery County this year, communities are stepping up with parades, ceremonies, and remembrance events that do exactly that.
Here’s your guide to making this Memorial Day weekend in Montco meaningful.
Parades Across the County
Few things capture the spirit of Memorial Day like a hometown parade: the sound of marching bands, the sight of color guards, neighbors lining the streets together. Montco has several worth making the trip for.
In Hatfield, the 80th Annual American Legion Memorial Day Parade steps off May 25 at 9 AM, following a wreath-laying ceremony at the Veterans Memorial. Eighty years is no small milestone.
This is one of the county’s most enduring traditions, and this year’s anniversary edition promises to be special. Immediately after, Legion Post 933 hosts a Memorial Day ceremony, car show, and BBQ. It’s a full morning worth blocking off.
Over in Collegeville, the annual Memorial Day Parade kicks off at 10 AM on May 25, this year carrying the theme “Celebrating America 250: Collegeville and Trappe’s Role in the Birth of Our Nation.” With America’s 250th birthday on the horizon, the timing couldn’t feel more resonant.
The mile-long procession features more than 50 groups, including veterans, scouts, bands, dancers, and floats, and concludes with a Remembrance Observance and a Community Day celebration at Waterworks Park.
In Lower Merion, the Ardmore Memorial Day Parade offers a slightly more leisurely start. Head to the Township Admin Building at 9:45 AM for patriotic selections performed by the Merion Concert Band, then line Lancaster Avenue for the parade itself, stepping off at 10:30 AM from Greenfield Avenue.
The morning closes with a wreath-laying service at St. Paul’s Cemetery near the Argyle Avenue entrance.
Don’t want to choose? Lansdale’s parade also rolls up Main Street at 9 AM on May 25, wrapping with a ceremony at Memorial Park at 10 AM, early enough that you could catch the tail end of another event afterward.
Ceremonies and Quiet Moments of Reflection
Not everyone marks Memorial Day with a parade route and a lawn chair. For something more contemplative, head to Norristown, where a Memorial Day Observance will be held at Historic Montgomery Cemetery on May 23 from 11 AM to 1 PM.
Expect wreath placements, volley fire, bagpipe performances, and a family-friendly educational activity for children. It’s the kind of event that reminds you what the day is actually for.
How to Get Involved
Can’t make it to a parade? Local VFW and American Legion posts throughout Montco welcome volunteers for grave flagging and other remembrance efforts in the days leading up to the holiday. It takes an hour and means more than you might expect.
Reach out to your nearest post before the weekend to find out how to help.
Montgomery County knows how to honor its own. Whether you line a parade route in Hatfield, walk the grounds of a historic cemetery in Norristown, or simply pause for a moment wherever you are on May 25, the act of remembering is the point.
Know of an event we missed? Let us know.
