The 157th Remembrance of Memorial Day was held Tuesday in Waterloo, the Official Birthplace of Memorial Day.
Tuesday morning there were three wreath laying ceremonies. First the Daughter of the American Revolution (DAR) participate in the St. Mary’s Cemetery. At the Maple Grove Cemetery the American Legion Auxiliary lays the wreath. Then the V.F.W. Auxiliary lays the final wreath at the Elisha-Williams Cemetery.
A parade featuring color guards, the Waterloo High School Marching Band, The Waterloo Fire Department and others then marched through the village, before the ceremonies were held in LaFayette Park.
U.S. Air Force veteran and State Commander of the American Legion David R. Riley of Rome, NY was the featured speaker.
It was in 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the proclamation, approved by Congress, that declared Waterloo the birthplace of the holiday.
That came 100 years after the first time the graves of Civil War soldiers were decorated in Waterloo.
All Photos by Greg Cotterill, Finger Lakes Daily News.
(Here is a gallery of photos from Tuesday, just click on a picture and then use the arrows to change the photo.)
