Memorial Day at the Flagpole
For more than a hundred years Palisadians have gathered at the flagpole next to Route 9W, first erected in 1861 and replaced twice since then, to celebrate Memorial Day. In the 1950s the holiday was celebrated with a parade that included a marching band, speeches by Palisades residents, and the firing of salutes with live ammunition. Small boys would run to collect the shells as soon as the firing stopped. The National Anthem was sung by a local resident with a fine voice.
Over the years the band became smaller, eventually being reduced to drums and trangles, and finally disappearing altogether. No more guns were fired. Instead of speeches by Palisades residents, we heard speeches by the Commander of the John M. Perry Post, the American Legion Post on Route 340, and by the Orangetown Supervisor. Last year the faithful crowd waited by the flagpole and no one came.
On May 29 this year our Memorial Day ceremony reappeared. The music was recorded, the parade was small and 20 minutes late, but our century-old tradition was revived. Thom Kleiner spoke briefly, as did Warren Kaiser from the John M. Perry Post. We are grateful to the American Legion for re-instituting our tradition. Perhaps next year we can hear a speech by a local resident. Sally Green sent us this picture of the event.