Rockford’s downtown Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum will  be the site of a Memorial Day parade reviewing stand and a ceremony on Monday, May 27.

Rockford will renew its tradition of honoring fallen military personnel with a Memorial Day parade that has been staged since shortly after the holiday was established following the Civil War. 

The parade, a Rockford tradition since 1870, as well as accompanying events, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, May 27 in the downtown area. 

Presented by the Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum and the Winnebago County Veterans Association, activities will include a parade, ceremony and a Sinking of the Ship ceremony on the banks of the Rock River. 

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It was officially proclaimed in 1868 by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. It was first observed on May 30 of that year when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. 

It eventually evolved into Memorial Day and is now a federal holiday honoring individuals who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. For decades, Memorial Day was observed on May 30 before the date was changed to the last Monday of May by the U.S. Congress effective in 1971.  

Rockford’s Memorial Day events begin at 9 a.m. with the downtown parade that will conclude at Beattie Park. A reviewing stand will be located at the Armistice Peace Memorial on the east side of Veterans Memorial Hall. 

Once the parade has ended at approximately 10 a.m. a program will begin. It will include a welcome address and remarks from Joseph V. Chiarelli, Winnebago County Board chairman, and keynote speaker Jesus Pereira, superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Winnebago County. 

The ceremony will conclude with a moment of silence followed by a Memorial Rose Ceremony and the playing of Taps. 

Memorial Day activities continue with the annual riverside Sinking of the Ship ceremony including the reading of Gen. John Logan’s General Order No. 11, a wreath presentation, a 21-gun salute by the Rockford Detachment Marine Corp League and the sinking of the ship presented by the Navy Club Ship No. 1 on the river bank behind the Rockford Public Library, 215 N. Wyman St. 

Many activities will again center around Memorial Hall. 

“Our hall and museum stand as a living tribute to the brave men and women of Winnebago County who made profound sacrifices for our freedom,” according to a description on the center’s web site (veteransmemorialhall.com). Beyond being a mere repository of artifacts, it is a dynamic space that preserves their stories, ensuring that their courage and honor resonate for generations to come.” 

The hall was dedicated in 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt with a speech reportedly witnessed by more than 50,000 persons. 

“No more fitting memorial, no more fitting monument could be erected than a hall such as this, a hall beautiful in itself, and beautiful, because of the uses to which it is consecrated, and the hall, the monument, is not only for you, just as you are not only for yourselves, your lives, your deeds, have now become part of the very fiber of the nation,” Roosevelt was quoted as saying. 

The building’s use has expanded over time, accommodating groups like the Federation of Women’s Clubs and Nevius Post 1.  

Memorial Hall has served as a home for the relics and artifacts of the soldiers from the start. The G.A.R. originally spent $1,050 on glass cases to preserve the historic relics. Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum is still caretaker of those artifacts, records, photographs and correspondences of the G.A.R.  

Visitors are greeted with three floors of exhibits featuring local veterans of all U.S. conflicts with artifacts donated throughout the years.