Memorial Day In Charlestown: What To Know

CHARLESTOWN, MA — It's promising to be a bit of an overcast day on Monday, May 28, Memorial Day. But that shouldn't put a damper on the holiday that both marks the start of Summer and is set aside as a day to remember members of the military who have lost their lives.

Every year, the Massachusetts Military Heroes organization plants a Garden of Flags in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Boston Common to commemorate each of the Massachusetts service members who have given their lives since the Revolutionary War. The 37,000 flags stay there through the weekend.

On Thursday there will be a name-reading ceremony to honor service members killed since Sept. 11 in front of the flag display on the Common on Thursday, May 24 at 10:30 a.m.

Then, on Saturday, May 26, 11 a.m, there is usually a small ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Park in the Back Bay Fens area.

For Memorial Day weekend in Charlestown proper, the USS Constitution Museum is hosting "Honoring Our Heroes," an event to showcase the men and women who served on “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812. The display will include images, relics that tell the stories of those troops. The event is in partnership with Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit that sends care packages to deployed troops, veterans, first responders, new recruits, and wounded heroes.

Entrance is free to military. Suggested donation for non military of $5-$10, May 26-29, USS Constitution Museum, Charlestown Navy Yard, ussconstitutionmuseum.org.

You might also check out a tour at 1 p.m. Saturday of the Charlestown Navy Yard. Get a glimpse into the Navy Yard’s past with a walk through the present. The site of the Charlestown Navy Yard has played many roles in its nearly 250 year history. It first served as the landing site of the British Army during the Battle of Bunker Hill, then as a naval facility building warships for the U.S. Navy, and now as a mixed use area with a hospital, residences and the National Park Service. Discover how this historic area has adapted to the changing needs of the community. The tour will begin at 1 p.m. and those interested in attending are asked to meet at the Charlestown Navy Yard flagpole near the tennis courts. Charlestown Navy Yard, Pier 1, May 26

As for a parade? Well, you know, Charlestown likes to save that for the Bunker Hill Day on June 10, 12 p.m. to 2:3o p.m.

The Annual Bunker Hill Day Parade starts at on Vine Street, passes through downtown Charlestown, proceeds past the Bunker Hill Monument and finishes at Park Street.

What's open, closed?
Monday, May 28, is Memorial Day, and the holiday means some businesses and other places in the city will be closed but parking is free. Before you head out, check our list of what's open and closed on the holiday:

• Municipal, state, federal offices: Closed (no meetings) Schools: Closed
• Boston Public Library: Closed
• Banks: Closed
• Mail: Post offices closed; express delivery only
• Supermarkets: Open
• Convenience stores: Open
• Retail stores: Open at owner's discretion
• Restaurants, bars: Open at owner's discretion
• Liquor stores: Closed

Trash, recycling: Delayed one day.

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Photos by Jenna Fisher/Patch