HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – There has been another event that has become a casualty of the COVID 19 situation along the Lakeshore.
On Sunday, the Holland Memorial Day Parade Committee announced the cancellation of the annual parade and subsequent remembrance ceremony at Pilgrim Home Cemetery set for the legal holiday of May 25th. “We did not make this decision lightly,” committee chairman Ren Mireles said in a statement, “but with the uncertainty of the times, we are still not confident that it will be safe to gather and celebrate by May 25. The age of many of the veterans and others who participate in this annual parade puts them squarely in the higher risk category for COVID 19.”
In lieu of any organized activities on this holiday, committee member Craig Rich and Mireles “suggested that parents take the time on Memorial day to talk to school age children about the sacrifices made by their ancestors to maintain our freedoms; parents who are temporarily home schooling their children might be encouraged to have their students complete a project or write an essay about what Memorial Day means, including honoring those who died, or about living veterans or active duty military personnel they may know.”
The Memorial Day activities are added to a growing list of annual events that have either been postponed or outright canceled due to the COVID 19 situation, including the Tulip Time Festival, LAUP Fiesta and the Lakeshore Blessing of the Bikes.
