Rain that stretched from Sunday night into Memorial Day forced a wave of parade cancellations and schedule changes across western Massachusetts and Connecticut, as towns moved ahead with indoor ceremonies or alternate observances. Amherst, Belchertown, Deerfield, Easthampton, Granby, Hadley, Holyoke, Ludlow, Montague, Palmer, Southwick, Suffield and Westfield were among the places that changed plans.
In Amherst, the parade was canceled and the Memorial Day ceremony moved inside Bangs Community Center at 9:30 a.m. Belchertown canceled its parade and planned an outdoor ceremony at South Cemetery on 143 Mill Valley Road at 8:30 a.m. and an indoor ceremony at 20 Park Street at 10:30 a.m. Deerfield said its ceremony would be inside Frontier Regional School at 8:45 a.m., while Easthampton canceled both its parade and ceremony. Granby kept a ceremony at Granby Veterans’ Memorial at 9 a.m., and Hadley said the parade was off but that Hadley Veterans and Fire Department would still host ceremonies at the cemeteries.
Holyoke canceled its parade and planned an observance at the Holyoke War Memorial at 8:30 a.m. Ludlow canceled its parade and postponed a candlelight vigil until a later date to be announced. Montague planned its ceremony inside Montague Common Hall at 11:15 a.m., and Palmer said its parade would return on June 20 as part of Mass. 250th anniversary festivities, with a ceremony set for 11 a.m. inside Amvets Post 74 at 2150 Main Street in Three Rivers.
Southwick canceled its parade and planned a ceremony at Town Hall Auditorium at 10 a.m., while Suffield, Conn., canceled its parade and scheduled a ceremony at Suffield High School auditorium at 10 a.m., with doors opening at 9:15 a.m. Westfield also canceled its parade and planned a ceremony at Westfield Middle School at 11 a.m.
The weather also disrupted Memorial Day plans in Connecticut, where multiple parades were canceled for Monday because of forecasted rain and inclement weather conditions. Ansonia pushed its parade to May 31 at 2 p.m., Avon canceled its parade and planned an 11 a.m. ceremony at the Senior Center, and Bloomfield moved to a ceremony at noon in the Great Room at the Alvin & Beatrice Wood Human Services Center. Bristol police said the Memorial Day Procession was canceled, though the Forestville Memorial Parade in Forestville Centers was still scheduled, and Broad Brook Fire Department said its parade was canceled but a ceremony was expected at 10 a.m. at the Warehouse Point Fire Station.
Other towns made similar shifts. Brooklyn canceled its parade because of weather, Clinton scheduled an indoor ceremony at 11 a.m. in the auditorium of Town Hall, and Crystal Lake set a ceremony for 10:30 a.m. in the EHS auditorium. Danbury’s mayor canceled the parade and urged residents to take time and reflect, remember and honor those who gave their lives in service to the nation. East Hartford moved its program indoors at 10 a.m. at town hall, East Windsor shifted to a ceremony at Warehouse Point Station 1 on Bridge Street at 10 a.m., and Essex said ceremonies would be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Essex Veterans Memorial Hall. Farmington invited veterans to gather at the Town Hall Veterans Memorial at noon for a short ceremony, and Glastonbury’s Veterans Service Commission said its parade was canceled and that it would hold a ceremonial service at 9:30 a.m. at the Glastonbury High School gym at 330 Hubbard Street.
The cancellations left many towns with no parade at all, but not no observance. Across both states, local leaders chose to keep the day alive indoors, on cemetery grounds or at veterans memorials, and Palmer’s decision to move its parade to June 20 was the clearest sign that the holiday was being preserved rather than simply lost to weather.
