Scaled-Back Memorial Day Parade, Ceremony Planned In Naperville

NAPERVILLE, IL — Naperville's Memorial Day Parade is set to return in 2021, after being canceled in 2020 due to coronavirus.

Slated for May 31, this year's observances will be scaled back amid the ongoing pandemic, Naperville Memorial Day Parade Committee Chairman Tom Parker told Patch Monday. Parker said the 2021 parade will be a "very scaled-down version" that is much shorter and smaller than in years past.

At 9 a.m., the parade will step off from Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873, 908 Jackson Ave. and make its way to Dandelion Fountain. Mostly veterans will march in the parade, unlike previous years, which included local school marching bands and other organizations.

Parker said marching bands from Naperville's high schools have been invited to take part in the festivities from the sidelines. The bands that participate will be stationed along the parade route and will play a patriotic selection as the veterans parade past.

Once the parade arrives at Dandelion Fountain, there will be a memorial ceremony featuring a 21-gun salute and music from the Naperville Municipal Band. Similar ceremonies will follow at Naperville Cemetery, Shanower Memorial, Veterans Park, Burlington Square Park and Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery.

At 12 p.m., a memorial ceremony will be held at Central Park. The ceremony will include remarks from the local high school student who won this year's American Legion oratorical contest. The Naperville Municipal Band will perform "Taps" and other patriotic music. The ceremony will also include a 21-gun salute and a wreath-laying ritual.

Parker said the ceremony at Central Park will likely last around 30 minutes. Those who attend Naperville's Memorial Day services are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing.

In observance of the holiday, Parker is encouraging residents to "really take a moment and think about what the day means."

Parker invites residents to observe one minute of silence at 3 p.m. as part of the National Moment of Remembrance.

Parker said it's important to look beyond Memorial Day as the unofficial start of summer and to honor "the folks that gave their lives so that we can do what we do every day.”