Conn. pays tribute on Memorial Day

New Haven, Connecticut (WTNH) - Memorial Day weekend -- the unofficial kick-off to summer -- has finally arrived.

Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. military.

Celebrated on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day was once known as Decoration Day. It was first enacted to honor soldiers who died in the American Civil War. It was then expanded after World War I and became a federal holiday in 1971.

Many Connecticut towns are paying tribute with parades and events. Here is a list of happenings around the state, weather permitting:

- New Haven: At 1 p.m. Sunday, at Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Long Wharf there will be a wreath-laying. At 3 p.m., there will be a ceremony on the Green. Orchestra New England will perform a concert at 5 p.m. Sunday. The show is at the Shubert Theatre. Some seats may still be available the day of the show.

- Ansonia: Parade steps off at 2 p.m. Sunday from Nolan Athletic Complex on Wakelee Avenue. It ends at City Hall.

- Bethany: Parade starts at 10 a.m. Monday, beginning at the airport on Route 63, and ending at the Town Hall.

- Branford: The main ceremony is at 10 a.m. Monday on the Green, with the parade stepping off at 10:30.

- Cheshire: Parade starts at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Highland School on Highland Avenue, heads south on Route 10 to the high school.

- East Haven: Parade begins at 10:30 a.m. Monday from the American Legion Post 89 on Thompson Street to the Town Green.

- Guilford: Parade Monday at 10 a.m. from Town Hall.

- Hamden: The 74th annual Hamden Memorial Day Parade starts from Hamden High School at 10 a.m. Monday. Following the parade, there will be a wreath ceremony in front of Hamden Middle School.

- Madison: Parade steps off at 10 a.m. Monday and follows Boston Post Road through downtown, past the Town Green to the West Cemetery.

- Milford: The parade will form at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Daniel Wasson Field parking area. It will proceed to the north side of the Milford Green.

- North Branford: The annual parade will step off at 10 a.m. Monday from St. Monica’s Church. It will head onto Route 17, toward the junction of routes 22 and 17.

- North Haven: The North Haven Memorial Day Parade starts at 10 a.m. today. The 65-unit parade forms at Elm Street and Bailey Avenue and goes from Bailey to Maple Avenue to Church Street, where it stops at the reviewing stand on the Green.

- Old Saybrook: A wreath-laying ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. Monday at the dock overlooking Connecticut River between the Saybrook Point Inn and the Dock & Dine Restaurant. A parade will step off at 10 a.m. from Elm Street and proceed down Main Street to the Green for a memorial program.

- Orange: Events will take place at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, starting with services at the High Plains Community Center (525 Orange Center Road). The parade will then proceed down Route 152 to the cemetery for closing ceremonies.

- Shelton-Derby: The annual Derby-Shelton Memorial Day Parade kicks off at 9 a.m. Monday in Shelton, and follows a route over the Derby-Shelton Bridge into Derby.

- Stratford: The parade kicks off at 2:15 p.m. Monday at Academy Hill. The parade route is from Academy Hill to Main Street, ending at Paradise Green.

- Wallingford: Ceremonies begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday at Dutton Park and proceed to Doolittle Park on South Elm Street where there will be closing ceremonies.

West Haven: The annual Memorial Day Parade will take place at 10:30 a.m., Monday, stepping off at Noble Street and continuing along Campbell Avenue to Center Street.

------------------
Parade and event information: ( New Haven Register )