City’s Memorial Day Observance Set for May 26

NEWBERG, Ore. — Newberg’s annual Memorial Day observance will be held Monday, May 26 at Memorial Park, beginning at 11 a.m. The public is invited to attend.

The event is organized by VFW Post 4015 of Greater Yamhill County and Lester C. Reese Post 57 of the American Legion, with assistance from the Chehalem Park and Recreation District and the Newberg Police Department.

The program will include songs by members of the Newberg chapter of the American Heritage Girls, a recitation of the “Gettysburg Address,” and a reading of John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields.”

The program will also feature brief speeches, a reading of the names of Newberg veterans who have died in service, from the Spanish-American War to Vietnam, and flower presentations.

Afterward, a free barbecue will be provided to all in attendance, courtesy of Newberg’s Jem100 restaurant.

Before the Memorial Park program, members of the VFW, American Legion and local Scout troops, escorted by the Legion Riders, will visit five nearby cemeteries to honor one veteran at each location.

Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, began as a way to honor and decorate the graves of Union soldiers who died during the Civil War. In 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans organization, designated May 30 as a day to decorate those graves.

Over time, the holiday expanded to honor all American military personnel who have died in service. In 1971, Memorial Day was officially recognized as a national holiday and moved to the last Monday in May.

Correction May 20 at 1:29 p.m.: The original article stated the event was on Sunday, May 26. It has been corrected to the correct day of the week, Monday May 26. Newsberg regrets the error.