[Image by Keturah Moller from Pixabay ]
When I was young, Memorial Day meant one thing: the Memorial Day Fair at my church, The Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, New York. As I contemplated how to honor our war dead this Memorial Day, I kept coming back to thinking about that fair. Others have also had memories of the fair on their minds this week. A May 25th post in a Facebook group I belong to, I grew up in Garden City, New York, asked: "What are your memories of the Memorial Day fair at the cathedral? I looked forward to it every year!" At the time this post was published, there were over 100 comments and replies posted. The Memorial Day Fair even gets a nod on the TripAdvisor page for the church–"Wonderful [sp] Memorial Day Fair and Concert." Local press stories on the preparations and schedule for this year's fair can be found here and here.
The Memorial Day Fair is a collaborative community event in which local businesses join together with church volunteers to produce a major good time. The webpage for this year's fair notes ten business sponsors and boasts that the fair "will feature games, inflatables, rides, prizes, and delicious fair food! You'll also find arts & crafts, vendors, organ concerts with patriotic sing-alongs (at 1pm and 3pm), historic tours, and an archives display." Those commenting in the Facebook group remembered the goldfish (most of which died rather soon after the fair) that many of us won by throwing ping-pong balls into goldfish bowls, the games, the rides, and the food–especially the cotton candy.
I remember all that–and selling ice cream to a famous actor visiting our local famous basketball player. But I also remember the American Legion's red poppies and the local Memorial Day Parade (which many also remembered in response to the Facebook group post). These parts of the day were directed almost exclusively toward honoring those who lost their lives fighting for our country and became intertwined with the fair in meaningful ways.
My memories of the Cathedral of the Incarnation Memorial Day Fair remain relatively strong as I take time out today to remember why Memorial Day exists: to honor the lives of people who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces. (See also here and here.) The forces of community in my home town–business and religious interests alike–that came together (and apparently continue to come together) in honor of the men and women who died in military service to our country is a great example of social responsibility in action. It continues to inspire.