Ferndale’s 97th Annual Memorial Day Parade

In 1865, a group of former slaves in Charleston, South Carolina honored the Union soldiers who died fighting for their freedom, moving them from a mass grave to a proper burial ground. In 1868, Memorial Day officially became the time to remember the fallen Civil War soldiers. Originally called “Decoration Day” because families walked to the cemeteries and decorated the graves of the soldiers, today some think of it as a three-day weekend or the unofficial start of summer. The Ferndale Memorial Association makes sure that all involved remember. Barbara Earle, Director of the FMA, says: “We honor not only those who died in war, but those who came back and rejoined their community.”

In 1919, Ferndale held its first Memorial Day parade. It is the oldest continuous Memorial Day parade in Michigan. It ” doesn’t have clowns or candy.” A different veteran serves as marshal each year. School bands participate, as do local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. Children decorate their bicycles with patriotic colors and pictures and ride in the parade, which starts at 10:00 A.M. A ceremony at the Memorial across from the Ferndale Fire Department begins at 11:00 A.M. with the reading of the

“Honor Roll” (the names of veterans from Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge and Oak Park), then Barbara slips the paper with their names into the niche at the Memorial. The flag goes up at noon.

Barbara Earle has worked with the Memorial Association for 42 years. Her father (a WWII Marine who served in the Pacific Theater) was president of the Association then, and needed an assistant. She is proud of their work and the fact that they make sure that there is a “proper observance of any patriotic holiday” in Ferndale.

I also met some folks who are part of the “Michigan Fallen Foot Float.” Participants from a number of Michigan counties walk silently, carrying photographs of those who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. We discussed the emotion involved in this event. “Hornet’s Nest,” a documentary about our soldiers in Afghanistan, will be shown at the Ferndale Library on May 12 and 19.

No one I spoke with talked politics. Ed Allison says, “The politics of war have nothing to do with the death of our people.” Everyone I reached out to spoke with such sincerity, conviction and respect. It was very moving. Barbara Earle: “We take a few minutes to stop and honor the soldiers for their sacrifice and then enjoy the freedom they fought for.”

At the end of the day, we can only hope to be remembered for our kindness, our bravery, our willingness to put others first. At the Memorial Day Parade and ceremony in Ferndale, a grateful community gathers to show our veterans that they will never be forgotten.

Memorial Day is Monday, May 25.

For more information about the Ferndale Memorial Day parade, or if you wish to volunteer, please call (248) 546-1632, e- mail ferndalefootfloat@gmail.com or go to www.ferndalemi.gov.