Memorial Day Observances, Parades in Bangor, Old Town, More

Memorial Day is a day to honor and mourn the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties.

The holiday is observed on the last Monday of May.

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It wasn’t always called Memorial Day. The day was originally known as Decoration Day. A day to decorate the graves of those who died serving our country.

Parade Information

Bangor's Memorial Day Parade will step off at 10:15 a.m. beginning on Exchange Street and ending at Davenport Park at 1:30 p.m.

A 21-gun salute will take place following the parade.

Three years is certainly long enough between parades, and Old Town Memorial Day Parade is again a go. It'll kick off at 9 a.m at Old Town High School. With more than 100 floats, all the little league sports teams, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Police, Fire and Public Works, and other businesses and community groups. And oh yeah, marching bands.

All followed by the Flag Ceremony at 11:45 a.m. at Binette Park, followed by a Noon BBQ lunch. Lunch tickets are $5 per person, $10 per family and Veterans eat free. Bring your lawn chair or blanket.

Skowhegan will hold its Memorial Day Parade beginning at 10 a.m. The parade participants will gather by 9:30 at Smart & Edward’s Funeral Home parking lot, and the parade will proceed down Madison Avenue, onto Water Street and end at the Veteran’s Memorial on Water Street with a ceremony to follow.

With gas approaching $5 a gallon in Maine, will that stop families from traveling for Memorial Day long weekend? We’ll see. Traditionally, the unofficial kick-off to summer is also a high travel weekend.

And with the Pandemic easing, it is expected that Memorial Day weekend will kick off a busy summer of air travel.

Lots like to spend the weekend closer to home with plenty of projects around the house to keep all busy. It’s often a weekend to celebrate plants and the growing season and get those plants into the ground.

As a country, it is nice if we can observe a moment of silence and stop what we are doing at 3 p.m. to remember those who lost their lives serving our country.

And Q106.5 will be airing a special show from Fisher House which helps Armed Forces and veterans and their families. The show is hosted by Walker Hayes and is called The Gift. It’ll air on Memorial Day between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.