Orange County Memorial Day Events
ORANGE COUNTY MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS
We have compiled a list of Orange County Memorial Day Events that will honor those who gave their lives for us, so that we may remain “The Land of the Free.” We have also added some fun, family events to help launch the beginning of Summer.
We tried to include every city in Orange County but came up short on a couple. If you know of an event we haven’t included, please let us know and we’ll add it.
We at My Local OC bow our heads in reverence and thankfulness to the brave men and women who died in the line of duty. And while we know this is a fun time for the entire family and friends, why not take a moment to lift up a thought or say a prayer of thanksgiving? And take another moment to teach the kids why we celebrate this day. Have a fun and safe Memorial Day Weekend.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY
Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the people who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.
By the late 1860s, 5-years before the Civil War ended, Americans in various towns and cities began holding springtime tributes to the countless fallen soldiers of the Civil War. They decorated their graves with flowers and recited prayers.
Some records show that one of the earliest Memorial Day commemorations was organized by a group of formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.
Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Civil War soldiers buried there.
Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and reprised the tradition in subsequent years; by 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor the dead on separate days until after World War I.
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date General Logan selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. The change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
In the spring of 1915, shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote his now-famous poem “In Flanders Fields.” His poem inspired the use of the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance.
WHERE IS FLANDERS FIELD?
Flanders Field American Cemetery & Memorial is one of eight overseas World War I cemeteries designed and administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), a federal agency created in 1923. Flanders Field, located in Waregem, West Flanders, Belgium, is the only ABMC World War I cemetery in Belgium.
“In Flanders Fields”
A Poem By: Colonel John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
And so, in remembrance, we are posting our list of Orange County Memorial Day Events. We hope you are able to find one near you, and maybe even wear a poppy as a sign of respect.
ORANGE COUNTY MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS
***At the time of this posting, locations, dates, and times are accurate. Please check before attending.
Anaheim May 24, 7:00 am – May 27, 3:00 pm Memorial Day Weekend 2024 Ride, 4 days/3 nights @ Lifestyle Cycles 1510 N. State College Blvd. Request To Join Online Website
Anaheim May 27, 11:00 am Anaheim Memorial Day Program @ Anaheim Cemetery, Community Mausoleum 1400 E Sycamore St Website
Aliso Viejo May 27, 9:00 am Memorial Day BBQ @ Josephine’s Kitchen Patio 300 Freedom Ln Website
Brea May 27, 7:30 am – 2:30 pm Veterans of War Memorial Day Event @ Memory Garden Memorial Park and Mortuary 455 W Central Ave Website
Buena Park May 27, 10:00 am Memorial Day Remembrance Service @ Buena Park Civic Center 6650 Beach Blvd Website
Costa Mesa May 27, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm Memorial Day Ceremony @ Harbor Lawn-Mt. Olive Memorial Park 1625 Gisler Avenue Website
Cypress May 27, 10:00 am Memorial Day Ceremony @ Forest Lawn – Cypress 4471 Lincoln Ave Website
Dana Point May 27, 10:00 am – 11:00 am Memorial Day Services at Pines Park @ Pines Park 34941 Camino Capistrano Website
Fountain Valley May 27, 10:00 am Memorial Day Service @ Heritage Park 17641 Los Alamos Street Website
Fullerton May 27, 10:00 am Fullerton Memorial Day Ceremony @ Loma Vista Memorial Park 701 E. Bastanchury Road Website
Huntington Beach May 27, 11:00 am Memorial Day Service @ Huntington Beach Pier 325 Pacific Coast Highway Website
Huntington Beach May 27, 2:00 pm PROJECT UFO at SEA SALT BOLSA CHICA – MEMORIAL DAY! @ SeaSalt Beachside Burger, Huntington Beach Tickets Online – No Cover Charge Website
Irvine May 27, 10:00 am – 11:30 am Memorial Day Ceremony 2024 @ Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park 4 Civic Center Plaza Website
Laguna Niguel May 27, 12:00 pm Memorial Day Observance @ Sea Country Senior and Community Center 24602 Aliso Creek Road Website
Lake Forest May 27, 11:00 am El Toro Memorial Park Memorial Day Program @ El Toro Memorial Park 25751 Trabuco Rd Website
La Palma May 27, 9:00 am La Palma Memorial Day Ceremony @ Civic Center 7822 Walker Street Website
Rancho Santa Margarita May 27, 11:30 am – 2:30 pm Annual Memorial Day Food Truck Event! @ Coto Valley Country Club 23331 Via Venado, Coto de Caza Website
San Clemente May 27, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Memorial Day Observance @ Community Center 100 N. Calle Seville Website
Santa Ana May 26, 10:00 pm – 2:00 am Memorial Day Dance Party @ The Copper Door 225 N Broadway Website
Santa Ana May 27, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm Native Son 2024 Memorial Day BBQ @ Native Son Bar 305 East 4th Street #STE 200 Website
Santa Ana May 27, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm Memorial Day Service @ Fairhaven Memorial Park & Mortuary 1702 Fairhaven Avenue Reserve Online Website
Seal Beach May 27, 11:00 am United States National Submarine Memorial Day Ceremony @ Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach 800 Seal Beach Blvd Website
Seal Beach May 27, 12:00 pm Lion’s Club Memorial Day Service @ Seal Beach Pier Main St & Ocean Ave Website
Tustin May 27, All Day Memorial Day Remembrance @ Veterans Sports Park 1645 Valencia Avenue Website
Yorba Linda May 27, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Commemorate Memorial Day at the Nixon Library @ Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd Website
Penned by: Patricia A. Braun
Research Assistant: Tina McNamara
Publisher: My Local OC
Please note: We try very hard to ensure our information is correct, but we highly suggest you check first before
attending to make sure events are still scheduled.
We are not responsible for errors and/or omissions.
