 
 
[ Calendar of Events | History | Top]
Calendar of Events[ Calendar of Events | History | Top] | | Monday May
28th, 2007 | | | | | | Logan Cemetery | Services | 8:00 am | | Stordahl Cemetery | Services | 8:40 am | | Willow Creek Cemetery | Services | 9:00 am | | Main Street | Parade | 10:00 am | | City Park | Services | 10:15 am | | Dells Cemetery | Services | 11:00 am | | Legion Hall | Brat Feed | 11:30 am - 1:30 pm | | | | | | | | |
[ Calendar of Events | History | Top] [ Calendar of Events | History | Top] MEMORIAL DAY
HISTORYMemorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for
those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual
beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of
Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South
were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867,
"Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To
The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead"
(Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While
Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President
Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins
of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings.
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Memorial Day was first officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan,
national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11,
and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of
Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The South refused to
acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I
(when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War
to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost
every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress in 1968 to ensure a three
day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an
additional, separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas,
April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina;
and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.
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While there is some question about the origins of Memorial
Day, originally called Decoration Day, there is no doubt
one of the first was celebrated in the South. In January
1866, women in Columbus, Georgia issued a public call for
the graves of Confederate soldiers to be covered with
flowers. The first Confederate Decoration Day was observed
that spring. In 1868, commander-in-chief of the GAR,
General John A. Logan, ordered the 30th of May be set
aside as a Memorial Day for the purpose of honoring the
dead of the Civil War. General James Garfield was the
speaker at the first observance at Arlington National
Cemetery on May 30, 1868. Over time, the day became one of
remembrance for all who had given their life in battle for America.[ Calendar of Events | History | Top] For All Those Born Before 1945 We are survivors -- consider the changes we have witnessed: We were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, frisbees and the PILL. We were before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams, and ball point pens. Before pantyhose, dish washers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip dry clothes. . . and before man walked on the moon. We got married first, and then lived together. How quaint can you be? In our time, closets were for clothes, not for "coming out of". Bunnies were small rabbits and rabbits were not Volkswagens. Designer jeans were scheming girls named Jean, and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with our cousins. We thought fast food was what you ate during lent, and outer space was the back of the Riviera Theatre. We were before house husbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual careers and commuter marriages. We were before daycare centers, group therapy, and nursing homes. We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electronic typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt and guys wearing earrings. For us time sharing meant togetherness, not computers or condominiums. A chip meant a piece of wood, hardware meant hardware, and software wasn't even a word. Back then "Made In Japan" meant junk and the term "making out" referred to how you did on your exam. Pizzas, McDonalds and instant coffee were unheard of. We hit the scene where there were 5 and 10 cent stores, where you bought things for five and ten cents. Ice cream cones sold for a nickel or a dime. For a nickel you could ride a street care, make a phone call, buy a Pepsi or enough stamps to mail one letter and two post cards. You could buy a new Chevy for $800. . . but who could afford one. A pity too, because gas was 11 cents a gallon. In our day, GRASS was mowed. COKE was a cold drink and POT was something you cooked in ROCK MUSIC was a Grandma's Lullaby and AIDS were helpers in the Principal's office. We were certainly not before the difference between sexes was discovered, but we were surely before the sex change. We made do with what we had, and we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think you needed a husband to have a baby . . No wonder we are so confused and there is such a generation gap today. |
