Memorial Day-- and with it, the 89th annual Hartland Memorial Day Parade-- is coming up on Monday, May 27, 2024! This day is set aside as a time to remember and honor those who have died while serving in the US Armed Forces. According to PBS, Memorial Day was first observed in the United States on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices made by soldiers during the Civil War. As a part of this important day, our town of Hartland has hosted a Memorial Day parade since the mid-1930's, and has an even longer history of honoring our local soldiers in other ways.
In 1906, Hartland Township formed its very own Memorial Day Committee. Reverend N. Norton Clark made notes of the meeting on June 23 of 1906 in the Town Hall. At this meeting, Hartland township soldiers and citizens discussed ways to commemorate and celebrate Memorial Day, as well as the monuments in place for buried soldiers of Hartland. A list was made of soldiers buried in local cemeteries, as well as ways to honor their service.
Reverend N. Norton Clark's notes from the first Memorial Day Committee in Hartland in 1906.
Hartland expanded its commemorations of fallen soldiers through the decades, and by the 1930's, Memorial Day services were held in the Hartland Music Hall. J. Robert Crouse, Sr. had purchased the Hall from members of the First Congregational Church of Hartland in 1929 and remodeled it in collaboration with Dr. Emil Lorch. The morning of Memorial Day, the old church bell in the Hall was rung, the organ was played, and hymns were sang. During the ceremony of 1938, the Hartland High School Band greeted attendees and led the march to the Hartland Cemetery, where essays, poems, and songs were recited.
Memorial Day Service pamphlets for 1936 and 1937.
The commemorations and celebrations for the Memorial Day weekend only continued to grow through the years, as family activities, local vendors, friendly competitions, and more were added to the annual celebration. Although Memorial Day festivities seemed to slow in the 1950's, they were revived by the community in the spring of 1962. Annual homecoming activities were incorporated into the Memorial Day commemoration, with the featured slogan "Do you Remember-- Those Wonderful Years!". The community expanded the annual parade and revived the well-loved traditions of potluck dinner, midway booths, games, and more. Downtown Hartland businesses were open in the afternoon, and the museum gave public tours. This sense of community togetherness revived Memorial Day in Hartland, and our annual celebrations have only expanded since.
In fact, the following year's Memorial Day festivities featured a gala theme, and a promise in the local paper to be the "biggest and most elaborate festival ever." The parade that year was followed by the promise that "your palate may be caressed by any number of fine foods" from the Fire Department's food concession stand.
Memorial services, the annual parade, and other activities continued to grow throughout the 1970's. People, animals, and vehicles were featured in the parade!
In 1978, the first annual Pancake Breakfast was hosted by the Hartland Lions Club. The tradition of serving a pancake breakfast on Memorial Day morning has continued through the years, and we're looking forward to another Pancake Breakfast this year! The parade was followed by a variety of activities to ring in the beginning of summer. The local Jaycees hosted a barbeque pit, the local Fire Department held a water balloon fight in front of the middle school, and the Athletic Boosters hosted a dunk tank.
The 1980 Memorial Day parade featured a very special float: the Cromaine Train! The beloved Cromaine train was built by the Hartland Area Jaycees and donated to the Library. Before delivering the train and installing it on the second floor, it was walked through the Memorial Day parade as a float-- and won second place in the float competition! The Cromaine train was a very special part of the Youth department for more than ten years. Learn more about the Cromaine train here!
The Cromaine Train, adorned with its Second Place ribbon, in the Youth department of the Library. Photo taken for the September 1980 installment of Community Life.
Throughout the 1980s, Memorial Day celebrations expanded to include more activities, games, and contests during Memorial Day weekend, including horse contests, baby contests, a Miss Hartland pageant, live music, and more!
Donald Epley, an important figure in Hartland, was named Grand Marshal of the 1995 Memorial Day parade. At that time, Don had lived in Hartland for seventy nine years. He helped organize the Hartland Fire Department in 1927, and received the "Oldest Active Fireman Award" from the Michigan State Fireman's Association Conference in Kalamazoo in 1979. Don was also active in the Scouts, United Way, the Hartland Area Community Council, and more. The village park was dedicated and named after Don Epley during the Memorial Day celebrations of 1978.
Many locals referred to Don Epley as "Mr. Hartland" because of his enormous contributions to the community.
Library staff and board members walking in the Memorial Day parade of 1997.
Cromaine staff have had a wonderful time walking the Memorial Day parade over the years. We have pushed decorated book carts and donned many costumes in celebration of our Summer Reading themes.
As much as our Memorial Day celebrations in Hartland have changed since 1906, the patriotism of our community has not. We are proud to be a part of the Memorial Day celebrations of Hartland, and look forward to many more ceremonies, parades, and other festivities for years to come!
Cromaine staff, Board, and volunteers with a Library banner at the 2010 Memorial Day parade.
We hope to see you at the 89th Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 27! This year, we're looking forward to a Sunday evening ceremony at Hartland Cemetery, the Memorial Day Run/Walk, and the Pancake Breakfast, among other annual festivities. The parade takes place at noon.
As we await Memorial Day, be sure to stop in the Library throughout the month to enjoy a beautiful Memorial Day display on the first floor, featuring a collection of items honoring our local veterans and past Memorial Day celebrations in the Hartland community. If you would like to join us in the Memorial Day parade this year, please sign up on the online calendar. Please remember that Cromaine Library is closed on Memorial Day, but will be open for regular hours on Tuesday, May 28.
Flyover pins are also available at the Circulation desk, while supplies last, for a suggested donation of ten dollars. The purchase of these pins will help sponsor the annual flyover before the parade.
Have a beautiful Memorial Day holiday!
Sources Cited:
Dale, Michelle. (May 18, 1978). Hartland News. The Independent. Page 30.
(May 29, 1995). Donald Epley- 1995 Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal. Memorial Day "Lest We Forget" Schedule of Events. Compliments of the Hartland Area Community Council.
(May 1963). Gala Memorial Festival Day Planned. Community Life: Volume 30, Number 8. Pages 1 and 2.
(May 1962). Homecoming Rescheduled for May 30th. Community Life: Volume 29, Number 8. Pages 1 and 4.
(May 1972). Memorial Day 1972. Community Life: Volume 39, Number 5. Page 7.