While many celebrate Memorial Day weekend as the unofficial first day of summer, the Mahomet community offers several opportunities to pause to remember military men and women who sacrificed their lives in service.
Two ceremonies will be held in Mahomet Monday, May 28 in observance of Memorial Day.
The Champaign Sportsmen Club, located at 302 N Lake of the Woods Road., will host their annual Memorial Day Service from 9 to 10 a.m. There will be music and a special message by Pastor Jason Schifo (US Army) of God’s faithfulness through brave men and women. Donuts and coffee from 8:00 a.m. at the clubhouse.
The American Legion Post 1015 has invited Major Mike Kessel to speak at the 11 a.m. service. Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. Attendees are then invited to meet at the American Legion Post on Main Street for refreshments.
Memorial Day derived from Decoration Day, which may have originated when southern women’s groups honored fallen soldiers when they decorated their graves.
General John Logan official declared Memorial Day on May 5, 1868 before it was first observed on May 30 when flowers were laid on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. New York was the first state to recognize Memorial Day in 1973.
Most northern states observed Memorial Day while southern states honored their fallen soldiers on a different day until after World War I. When Congress passed the National Holiday Act of 1971, Memorial Day became a three-day weekend celebrated on the last Monday of May.
