Local ceremonies honor the fallen

Communities across the Finger Lakes and country recognized Memorial Day, Monday, May 30. Memorial Day honors military personnel who died while serving the United States. In Dundee, there was a parade through the village and a ceremony at Seneca Street Park immediately after.
Penn Yan also featured a parade and a service for Memorial Day. A special acknowledgment was given to Eagle Scout Candidate Conor Clancy who coordinated Penn Yan's new Hometown Heroes Banner Project.
In Montour Falls, members of the public were joined by former Mayor John King, members of the Montour Falls Fire Department and the American Legion Honor Guard #676 for a service at Shequaga Falls.
Along with a moment of silence and laying the wreath, the Honor Guard also fired three shots during the ceremony for the fallen. The event in Montour was the first in Schuyler County that morning, with another service planned at the Schuyler County Veterans Memorial Park in Odessa.
The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York, which was designated by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 through Presidential Proclamation. Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day became the more popular designation in the mid-20th Century and the official name of the holiday in 1967.