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MILFORD — Milford will hold four Memorial Day events this year, but a parade will not be one of them.
Veterans, Ceremony and Parade Commission Chairman Tom Flowers said the group had spoken to city Health Director Deepa Joseph and floated the idea of having a ceremony instead.
“At the beginning of April, we consulted with Deepa, and she said that having a ceremony would be a good idea,” said Flowers.
The Memorial Day events will begin with a flag placement on Saturday, May 29, beginning at 8 a.m. Flowers said veterans service organizations and volunteers from the community will place about 4,000 flags at veteran graves at the three Milford cemeteries.
The other three events are scheduled on Memorial Day, May 31, starting with a wreath-laying ceremony at 10 a.m. at the World War 1 monument in front of City Hall. Veterans and other volunteers will place wreaths at the monument and recite the names of members of the service organizations who have died in the last two years.
After reciting the names, the veterans and volunteers will place wreaths on the four veteran monuments on the Green. At 1 p.m., the Milford Concert Band will have a patriotic-themed concert. The official ceremony will start at 2 p.m. on the steps of City Hall . The concert and ceremony will be live-streamed and will follow state COVID-19 protocols for outdoor gatherings.
The ceremony’s keynote speaker will be state Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Tom Saadi. Milford Mayor Ben Blake will also speak at the ceremony.
Flowers said there were several reasons why the city would not be able to have a parade this year. The biggest reason was time, he said.
“It wasn’t until the (April 17) that the governor made his statement,” said Flowers referring to Gov. Ned Lamont’s decision to lift some restrictions on outdoor gatherings such as parades and school graduations.
Flowers said it takes about two months for the commission to plan the Memorial Day parade and festivities.
Another reason was that numerous marching groups, including the high school marching bands and the Milford Volunteer Ancient Fife and Drum Corps could not commit to marching in this year’s parade.
Blake said he supported the commission’s decision. He encouraged residents to remember fallen heroes, even if they are not able to attend the ceremony.
“We’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll be opening up,” he said. “Memorial Day is usually a day to gather and have picnics, barbecues , trips to the beach to celebrate the unofficial start of summer. Also, it’s a day that we remember the fallen heroes who we pay tribute to.”
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