My earliest memories are of riding on the Boy Scout float down Edison Road in Lydick, IN. The parade began, I think, at the far western end of Edison Road, near Mutt's gas station...or maybe it began at the school on Quince Road, moved south to Edison and then turned east...it moved slowly past Clyde Peterson's store, the tavern, Marge's Beauty Shop...on past the Hardware Store, and the Gleaner's Hall, and the Ice Cream Parlor...then up the slight hill where it passed the front yard of my grandparent's home...and ended somewhere not too far past Chip Baginski's house...I think.
The parade took place during the running of the Indy 500, and so we had our transistor radios tuned to "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Mario was my guy! And those Andy Granatelli turbines, remember those? A.J. Foyt was the bad-guy...not really sure why, just never did like his style, I guess.
I do remember times when I have been disappointed in the over-the-top celebration of war and militarization on Memorial Day.
So far as I can tell the intention of Memorial Day is to honor those men and women who died in America’s wars, but it is not to glory in militarism or bless war. From the beginning of what was then called “Decoration Day” in 1868, and its post-WWI promotion by a lady named Ms. Moina Michael, the focus of the holiday was/is to honor our war dead. Early on there was an emphasis on supporting the many widows and orphans war leaves in its wake. And, decorating the graves of the war-dead has always been part of the celebration.
I live in a place where a 500-mile race just might be the biggest thing happening this Memorial Day Weekend. We often do that, don't we: turn old holiday celebrations into new and different holiday celebrations. Maybe there is room in the 3-day weekend for both.
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