The Aurora area will celebrate the upcoming Memorial Day weekend with parades, ceremonies and more.
Aurora will hold its annual Memorial Day parade, with the theme “Remembrance and Respect,” beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday in the city’s downtown.
The parade will begin at the intersection of Benton and River streets. It will head east on Benton, north on Broadway, west on Downer Place and end at River Street. The reviewing stand will be in front of the G.A.R. Memorial Museum at 23 E. Downer Place.
Leading the parade as the 2024 grand marshal will be Aurora World War II veteran Dick Miller.
Guests can greet Miller before the parade during the Grand Marshal’s Reception at 9 a.m. at the G.A.R. museum.
The parade will feature local veterans groups and military organizations, including the Aurora Veterans Advisory Council, Roosevelt Aurora American Legion Post 84, Waidley V.F.W. 468, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the G.A.R. Memorial Commission.
Marching bands will also take part, including those from East Aurora High School, West Aurora High School, Metea Valley High School, Granger Middle School, Hill Middle School and Still Middle School, along with the Aurora Roosevelt American Legion Band.
Other units taking part in the parade will be the South Shore Drill Team, the Lamplighters Barbershop Chorus, Costumers with a Cause, the Phillips Park Zoo, the Aurora Public Library’s Bookmobile, the East Aurora NJROTC, the West Aurora High School Cheer Team and the Simply Destinee Dance Team.
A variety of events are planned in St. Charles to celebrate Memorial Day.
Flag-raising and cemetery ceremonies will begin at 6 a.m. Monday in St. Charles, starting at Baker Community Center, 101 S. Second St., with the Boy Scouts posting colors, an honor guard and an honorary gun salute.
Boy Scout troops will then lead flag ceremonies beginning at the South Cemetery on the east side of Seventh Avenue, north of Madison; continue on to the North Cemetery on the west side of Route 25, north of Johnor Avenue; and then conclude at Union Cemetery on the east side of Route 25, north of Stonehedge Road.
St. Charles veterans will host a veterans community breakfast fundraiser from 7 to 9 a.m. at Baker Memorial Church, 307 Cedar Ave. The cost of the breakfast is $5 per person. For all current and former fire, police, uniformed Scouts, emergency services personnel and members of the military and veterans, the breakfast is free.
St. Charles will hold its Memorial Day parade beginning at 10 a.m. at Sixth and Main streets, with the parade continuing to Riverside Avenue.
A special memorial service will immediately follow the parade at 10:45 a.m. at the Freedom Shrine along the Fox River, west of the former St. Charles Police Department building at 211 N. Riverside Ave. In case of bad weather, the ceremony will be held inside St. Charles Fire Station 1, at 112 N. Riverside Ave.
United Methodist Church of Geneva will host its annual Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Monday at the church, 211 Hamilton St. in downtown Geneva.
Marking its 68th year, the breakfast will be staged by the Geneva church’s men’s club and the men’s group of Batavia United Methodist Church.
The event will offer all-you-can eat pancakes, sausage, coffee, juice and milk. The proceeds from the breakfast will be donated to local charities, organizers said.
Tickets are on sale at the church’s website at www.genevaumc.org and will also be available at the event. Ticket prices for those 13 years old and older are $9, with tickets for children 3 to 12 years old set at $4. Those under 3 years old eat for free at the event.
A Memorial Day parade will be held beginning at 10 a.m. Monday in Geneva.
The American Legion Fox River – Geneva Post 75 will step off its annual Memorial Day parade from the Geneva Train Station. The parade will feature a color guard, local veterans, city officials and Boy and Girl Scouts.
The procession will travel north on Third Street to the World War I Memorial in Wheeler Park, where a Memorial Day ceremony will be held.
Third Street will be closed during the parade as will the intersection of State and Third streets. While the parade is short in duration, motorists are encouraged to use Route 25 as an alternate route, Geneva police said. Parking will be prohibited on Third Street from Crescent to Stevens streets starting at 8 a.m. Monday due to the parade.
A Memorial Day event is planned in Yorkville on Monday at Town Square Park, 301 N. Bridge St.
The ceremony, to begin at 11:30 a.m., will feature the reading of names printed on the memorial in Yorkville Town Square, music by the Yorkville Middle School Band and speakers.
The Oswego Memorial Day parade, organized by American Legion Post 675, will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday at Old Traughber Junior High, 61 Franklin St. in Oswego.
The parade will go from Old Traughber to Polk Street, then to Jackson Street, on to Jefferson Street, crossing Route 34 to Main Street, passing the Veterans Memorial and on to the cemetery for a memorial service.
