Memorial Day ceremonies take place throughout western Massachusetts
What's open and closed on Memorial Day in Massachusetts?
Ceremonies and parades will be held across the region on Monday. Here's a list of events happening this year:
A Memorial Day Observance Ceremony will take place at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam on Monday at 1:00 p.m. Governor Maura Healey will be there to give the Memorial Day address alongside Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago. Mayor Domenic Sarno of Springfield will also be speaking at the event.
The annual Memorial Day Procession and Ceremony will be held on Monday at 9:30 a.m., beginning at the intersection of Spring Street and Boltwood Avenue. It will finish at the War Memorial Pool in front of Amherst Regional High School with a ceremony.
On Monday, between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. at the South Cemetery, a salute to the veterans interred at Belchertown's South Cemetery. A parade will step off at 10:00 am from the town hall and conclude at the town common, followed by a ceremony.
On Monday, the annual Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at the Veterans Memorial Plaza located at 650 Front Street at 11:00 a.m.
The Memorial Day Ceremony will be held on Monday at the East Longmeadow High School. The outside ceremony will feature the East Longmeadow American Legion Post #293 members forming up at 10:30 AM and beginning a short march at 10:50 AM to the flag pole of East Longmeadow High School.
The Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans' Services District will recognize Memorial Day on Monday at 10 a.m. with a parade and ceremony. The route starts at Greenfield Middle School and concludes at Veterans' Mall. Parade line-up begins at 9:30 a.m.. The route is as follows:
Travels Down Federal Street. The route stops at the Federal Street Cemetery for the presentation of a remembrance wreath.
Left onto Maple Street
Right onto Franklin Street
Right onto Main Street. The route stops at the Leavitt-Hovey House Mexican-American War statue and then left to the Greenfield Common for remembrance wreath presentations.
Concludes at Veterans Mall for a short ceremony.
Annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony. The parade will step off at 10:00 a.m. from St. Mary's Catholic Church at 27 Somers Road, Hampden, and proceed down Main Street to the Veterans Memorial at the Hampden Town Center, where the town's Memorial Day Ceremony will begin at approximately 11:00 a.m. In the event of rain or inclement weather, the parade will be canceled, and the Memorial Day Ceremony will move indoors to Hampden Town Hall.
A Memorial Day ceremony will be held on Monday at the War Memorial Building located at 310 Appleton Street. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Post 325 will host a lunch beginning at noon until 2 p.m. Post 351 will be hosting a breakfast from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. and lunch from noon to 2 p.m.
The City of Pittsfield's annual Memorial Day procession (rain or shine) will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday. A ceremony will follow at the cemetery.
A Memorial Day Parade is scheduled for Monday at 9 a.m. from Norris School to Center Cemetery for flag and flower placement and prayer. The parade will then continue to Town Hall for a Memorial wreath laying and a speech.
On Monday, Mayor Domenic Sarno will join with Bishop William Byrne and our Veterans and families for the annual special Memorial Day Mass at St. Michael's Cemetery on Monday at 10:00 a.m.
The Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday with a new route. The parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. from City Hall and proceed down Court Street toward the center, turning right onto Broad Street, and right onto West Silver Street to Parker Memorial Park. It will be followed by a ceremony.
On Monday, a gathering will take place at 6:45 a.m. at the Vietnam Veterans Bridge, which connects West Springfield and Agawam off Front Street. The ceremony will start promptly at 7:00 a.m. and will include brief remarks in honor of those who served and sacrificed.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) will then begin their dawn patrol, visiting all local cemeteries where fallen service members are interred, as well as the Town's war memorials. The patrol is scheduled to begin around 8:00 a.m. at Ashleyville Cemetery on Riverdale Street. From there, it will go to Paucatuck Cemetery on Sibley Avenue, then to St. Thomas Cemetery on Pine Street, followed by White Church Cemetery on Elm Street. Additional stops will include the North End Bridge at the end of Park Avenue, the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial at the intersection of Park Street and Elm Street, and will conclude at the War Veterans' Memorial at the southeast end of the Town Common, near the North End rotary.
West Springfield's official Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. outside Town Hall, located at 26 Central Street in West Springfield.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Inside ‘busy season' for hero local Coast Guard crew
These boots-on-the-ground rescues start from thousands of feet in the air. The busy season is just ramping up for the US Coast Guard's Air Station Atlantic City crew, which patrols the skies and conducts search-and-rescue operations from the Long Island Sound to the Chesapeake Bay, crew members told The Post in an exclusive interview Monday. Advertisement 'It was kind of a slow start to our busy season … but it's been picking up lately,' said Cmdr. Randall Slusher, a pilot whose team's coastal coverage includes that of the Big Apple, Jersey Shore and Long Island almost daily. 7 Coast Guard pilots Randy Slusher (left) and Tyler Smith of Air Sation Atlantic City pose after flying up the Jersey Shore to Manhattan on Monday. Aristide Economopoulos He said the colder spring months staved off droves of recreational boaters until after Memorial Day weekend — then all heck broke loose. Advertisement 'There's a lot of people out on the water this time of year, all trying to use the same space,' Slusher said. 'We'll have everything from boat crashes to jet skis getting stuck to people in the water, especially when riptides are heavy.' The eight-chopper fleet's more dramatic search-and-rescue operations involve crew members using giant baskets and slings to hoist people to safety while also regularly picking up and flying cruise-ship passengers for emergency medical treatment. It's not uncommon for training crews to be diverted to rescue missions while in the air, either. During Manhattan's Fleet Week in May, the team's own demonstration was diverted for an actual offshore search mission. Advertisement And 'last year, we had a case where the crew was doing a normal training on Saturday morning and upon coming back, saw someone … in the water, and we pulled him out,' pilot Lt. Tyler Smith said. 7 Petty Officer Adam Timberlake, a flight mechanic, makes adjustments while flying over the Hudson River. Aristide Economopoulos 'We've recently had a few cases where you're flying around and seeing someone clinging to a boat or clinging into a jet ski,' Smith said. He said one of his most memorable saves involved rescuing two boaters in February when their vessel capsized off the coast of Staten Island, killing three other passengers. Advertisement The air station also assisted in search and rescue operations during the Baltimore bridge disaster in March. 'When you have to rescue people that really need help, it's hard to beat that — it's a rewarding experience,' Slusher said. 7 'I think our mission is so unique: We're a military branch, and lifesaving is our goal,' Timberlake told The Post. Aristide Economopoulos The jumpsuit-clad heroes provide air space security during presidential travel and major tri-state area events such as United Nations summits, too. In the wintertime, the crew even provides aid to duck hunters who frequently get stuck on the water, Slusher said. Jet ski incidents in particular have exploded recently, he said. Last week, the crew hoisted two jet skiers stuck in South Jersey marshland. 7 Slusher (left) and Smith return to Air Station Atlantic City after flying their MH-65 Dolphin helicopter. Aristide Economopoulos Slusher said one memorable incident occurred in 2016 when a pair of New Jersey teens stole their parents' jet skis and took them for a joy ride through the mud. Advertisement 'The cabin of the helicopter was a [muddy] disaster,' Smith recalled of the teens' rescue. 'I think they took a shower … and we gave them clothes so their mom could come pick them up.' False-alarm and prank distress calls are unfortunately a regular issue the crew has to deal with, too, he said. Prank calls can happen multiple times a week, but the crew still must treat every instance as if it were a real emergency, Slusher said. 7 Coast Guard rescue swimmer Hunter Ruddell, 24, talks about how he saved an elderly couple and their two dogs from a marooned boat in November. Aristide Economopoulos Advertisement 'We spend a lot of time flying on those,' he said. 'Very rarely is it actually someone in distress.' Petty Officer Adam Timberlake, a flight mechanic who inspects the crew's choppers before and after each flight, said, 'I think our mission is so unique: We're a military branch, and lifesaving is our goal.' For 24-year-old helicopter rescue swimmer Hunter Ruddell, his first two years on the team have been nothing short of eventful. 7 Ruddell rescued a seasick boater from choppy Long Island Sound waters on Oct. 7 before driving the boat back to shore himself. Courtesy of Hunter Ruddell Advertisement In October, Ruddell drove a distressed boater in the Long Island Sound back to shore after the boat's operator fell ill and his ship was taking on water, he said. The rescue operation also doubled as the first time Ruddell had ever operated a boat. 7 Ruddell (right) and his colleagues rescued two adults and their two dogs in the Chesapeake Bay in November. Courtesy of Hunter Ruddell 'I had no idea how to drive a boat, I was just holding onto the steering wheel making sure we were going in the right direction,' the Florida native said. 'But the crazy thing is … I didn't have my phone, so I just followed my [smart] watch the entire time. Advertisement 'There's crazy days, but it's really fun,' he added. Roughly a month after the Long Island rescue, Ruddell and his crew members pulled two elderly boaters and their two dogs to safety after they were beached for hours in rising tides on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. '[The boat operator] wasn't following the correct path, and they got caught at low tide,' he said. 'Everyone was alright, but they would've gotten hypothermia if they were there for much longer. 'You can't really train for the cases that you're gonna get,' Ruddell said. 'You really have to adapt, and overcome the cases that you do get.'
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Mt. Tam railroad's last survivor restored and ready for new role at California museum
SACRAMENTO — Early morning commuters on Highway 37 Friday would have been taken aback by an ancient mode of transportation rolling alongside the old passenger railroad tracks that once connected Marin County to Vallejo and the world beyond. It was Engine No. 9, the last relic of the fabled Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway, on a tractor trailer headed up the line to Sacramento. The steam locomotive, built in 1921 and lettered in gold, was bound for the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, where it will go on public display in August. This completes a seven-year restoration effort by Friends of No. 9, a nonprofit that sank $500,000 and 15,000 volunteer hours into arriving at this point. 'This is like a coronation for us,' said Fred Runner, President of Friends of No. 9, the Novato nonprofit that got the job done. The engine was delivered in a five-vehicle parade from Sebastopol to Sacramento, led by Sheedy Drayage of San Francisco, which transported the 36-ton load of iron and steel, free of charge. 'To be invited to the CSRM is like having a vintage car invited to show at the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach,' Runner said. 'It's a very rare thing that just doesn't happen. But it did.' As a teaser for the railroad museum display, No. 9 was brought by the same Sheedy Drayage trailer to the Mill Valley Depot over Memorial Day weekend. It made its public premiere in the town parade, with its bell ringing and the whistle blowing and smoke coming out of the engine. 'There was a tremendous display of enthusiasm by people who loved the engine and thought it should stay at the depot,' Runner said. But by then the train was already rolling to Sacramento, a commitment made a year ago, when it was still in mid-restoration at a workshop. That was a job that took five years from the moment it was purchased at auction up near Eureka, where it had sat out in the weather gathering rust for 62 years. 'We are lucky that there is this marvelous group of obsessives that tracks these old steam engines,' said Runner, who led a team that outbid five other obsessive parties to muster up the winning bid of $56,240 to buy No. 9. There were 15 members of the bidding party, most of whom were devoted to the lore of the old Mount Tam railroad line and knew this was the last remaining piece of it. 'There is this whole fabric of stories about the lore of Mount Tam, and the railroad is at the center of it,' said Runner, a movie sound mixer who worked on 'Basic Instinct,' 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' 'Total Recall' and most recently 'Top Gun: Maverick,' which won an Academy Award for sound two years ago. 'As a moviemaker I'm interested in stories, and the stories about Mount Tam are tremendous,' Runner said. The story of the Mount Tam railway, which called itself 'the crookedest little railroad in the world,' was told in the 1980s in 'Steaming Up Tamalpais,' a short documentary by Mill Valley filmmaker Cris Chater. Runner saw it at the Mill Valley Film Festival and started tracing the tourist railroad line, which was built in 1896 and scrapped in 1930. Its 8.1 miles of track from the Mill Valley depot to the Mount Tam summit — 281 turns later — had been ripped out, as was the 2-mile spur into Muir Woods. Only Engine No. 9 survived, probably because it was still new with life left in it when the railway closed so it wasn't sold for scrap. It worked an additional 25 years hauling lumber from the forest to the mills. 'Amazingly it didn't get melted down to turn into weapons during World War II,' Runner said. No. 9 was no longer in running condition when the Friends bought it at auction, and it is still not in running condition because the boiler would need to be rebuilt and certified at a cost of $150,000, he estimated. The engine is 34 feet long, 12 feet high and 9 feet wide, and every aspect including the nonworking boiler was taken apart piece by piece. It was all repaired, cleaned, greased and then put back together — tender, cab, boiler, frame, even the assembly for the steel wheels. 'The restoration of the No. 9 represents the very best impulses of the preservation community,' said Ty Smith, director of the California State Railroad Museum. 'Although the locomotive won't steam passengers up Mount Tamalpais, it serves as a window into a remarkable episode in California history. We're grateful to be able to share in telling this important story.' When it arrived by caravan Friday morning, No. 9 was put onto the museum's railroad track and pushed along to its display stage. At that point, Runner was allowed to sit in the engineer's seat and listen to the valves open and close while No. 9 was actually moving on live track for the first time since 1953. It went only a few hundred feet, but the ride was smooth, thanks to 16 new springs. 'To feel the engine actually moving and hearing it hiss was a thrill,' he said. The engine was then removed to storage space, to allow museum staff time to finalize the exhibit. No. 9 will be up for six months with a possible extension, but it still needs a permanent home. 'While it is in Sacramento, we are working on it,' Runner said. 'It's an extraordinary piece of local history that deserves to be remembered.'
Eater
24-07-2025
- Eater
The Best Ground Chicken Recipes, According to Eater Editors
If there's one thing I keep in my freezer at all times, it's ground chicken. It might seem kind of boring — reminiscent of the ground-chicken-and-broccoli diets of protein bros — but ground chicken is surprisingly versatile (and, yes, leaner than beef and pork). It can be thrown into spaghetti, stir-fried into rice bowls, or added to mapo tofu. You can even turn it into a salad with tons of fresh herbs, like larb. Here are Eater editors' favorite recipes for using up that pack of ground chicken that you undoubtedly also have stowed away in your freezer. Namiko Chen, Just One Cookbook If I'm being honest, my go-to application for ground chicken is meatballs: these basic ones from Smitten Kitchen, any sort of tsukune (Japanese izakaya-style meatballs), or experimenting with new recipes (these had promise earlier this week, though I found the accompanying greens a little one-note). But I'm going to shout out a recipe that involves even less work than meatballs: soborodon. This colorful, simple donburi (or rice bowl) makes good use of ground chicken's delicate flavor; I love the speediness of the recipe for a weeknight meal (and I usually have the ingredients on hand), and the color balance of the dish adds visual appeal. It also makes a terrific next-day bento. — Missy Frederick, cities director Kaitlin Leung, The Woks of Life Mapo tofu is traditionally made with pork, but sometimes when I have the craving for this spicy, numbing dish — and only have a pound of ground chicken in the freezer — I use chicken instead. It still works! For me, the highlight of this recipe is the doubanjiang (spicy chile bean sauce) and the Sichuan peppercorn; the rest I've adapted with great success. Silken tofu is preferred, but I've used firm in a pinch and, again, the animal protein can be switched around (or omitted entirely!). The whole dish comes together in half an hour which is why it's on constant rotation in my household. — Kat Thompson, associate editor, Eater at Home José R. Ralat, Texas Monthly I have a strongly held belief that all lighthearted social gatherings could be improved by the addition of queso fundido, a Mexican dish of melty Oaxaca cheese, charred onions and vegetables, and often, a shower of still-sizzling chorizo sprinkled over the top. The only catch? Some members within my extended, blended family have a tenuous relationship with spice. That's why I sub ground chicken, seasoned with Ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and a little dash of ground white pepper to bolster the many layers of smoky heat without relying on prohibitively hot peppers like serrano or jalapeño. Ground chicken's versatility allows it to replace its more fiery counterpart without losing all sense of the dish's original taste or identity. — Jesse Sparks, senior editor Kris Yembanroong, Night + Market Cutting back on carbs can be fun if you ignore pseudoscience (looking at you, Mr. Brady). Night + Market is one of my favorite stops in LA, and after my first visit, I knew we had to procure Kris Yenbamroong's cookbook, which provides an outstanding overview of larb. Yenbamroong states that once you master the ground chicken version, you unlock other possibilities. You can alter the heat and flavorings, like graduating from the pedestrian ground red pepper flakes you'd use on pizza to grinding red Thai chiles instead. That alone is enough to liven up ground chicken breast. The timing and order of mixing ingredients play key roles in this deceptively simple, high-reward dish; pay attention to that, and make sure you've got fresh cabbage or lettuce and the rest of your pantry ingredients beforehand, and this quick, light meal will be aces, even on a weekday. — Ashok Selvam, regional editor, Eater Midwest Dan Pelosi, NYT Cooking Dan Pelosi of Grossy Pelosi fame is known for his approachable recipes. This recipe is a prime example: it's just ground chicken, an egg, Parm, panko, and pesto. The results? Well, to stay with the alliteration theme, let's call them perfectly pleasant. You mix everything into a bowl, shape the meatballs, and throw it all into the oven for 10 minutes, though the air fryer works well too. The pesto adds lots of flavor for little work. There's a reason everyone loves Grossy Pelosi! — Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter Dining In With Eater at Home Highlighting the people, products, and trends inspiring how we cook now Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
