WORCESTER—The City of Worcester and the Worcester Veterans’ Council marks Memorial Day with a series of solemn ceremonies honoring those who gave their lives in service to the United States.
Commemorations begin on Sunday, May 25, with the annual Water Ceremony at Elm Park, 138 Russell St., at 1 p.m. This tradition pays tribute to servicemen and women from Worcester who were lost at sea. Veterans march across the park’s iconic red bridge that arches over the park pond before placing wreaths and flower bouquets in the water. The ceremony includes prayers and moments of reflection to honor the fallen.
“Memorial Day is about remembering the ultimate sacrifice men and women have made to ensure we, and others, live in freedom,” City Councilor Kate Toomey, who often attends these ceremonies, told the Worcester Guardian. “Taking a few hours to honor them is a small price to pay to honor their memory and service.”
On Monday, May 26, the city’s official Memorial Day Observance and Remembrance Ceremony takes place at 9 a.m. at Hope Cemetery, 119 Webster St. Later in the day, officials and local veterans conduct two separate wreath layings.
The first takes place at the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Green Hill Park (50 Officer Manny Familia Way) at 11 a.m., followed by a second at the Korean War Memorial on Foster Street at 1 p.m.
The events are organized by the Worcester Division of Veterans Services in partnership with the Worcester Veterans’ Council. All ceremonies are open to the public, and community members are encouraged to attend.
Have news, tips, or a story worth telling? Reach Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org—because good stories (and great scoops) deserve to be shared.
