Near the start of the parade, which begins at 10 a.m. at South Monument and Court streets (near the Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Pioneers’ monument), history enthusiasts will be at the historic log house from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dressed in period wear and performing tasks of the day, it’s a way to go back in time to Hamilton’s early days.
Pay your respects
The parade itself runs from there to Greenwood Cemetery, where there will be a memorial ceremony at the recently restored and repainted World War II area at 11:15. The parade begins at 10 a.m., ending around 11:15 a.m. at the cemetery. Veterans organizations ask that those who can, spend about 15 minutes at the ceremony before continuing their day.
See the restored WWI area
Not far from the cemetery’s World War II area is the World War I area, where a work crew recently resurfaced 240 white concrete crosses with the names of soldiers from the area newly re-stenciled on each cross. The crosses stand silently in a semicircle that reflects the pain Hamilton families faced in the century-old world conflict.
Reflect at Public Receiving Vault
Close to the WWI crosses is something else the cemetery would like to restore, when it finds the money — the Public Receiving Vault. This Romanesque Revival structure, constructed in 1892, was a site for funeral services when the weather was unfavorable, and was a place were many of the soldiers’ bodies were kept before burials, especially in winter, when graves couldn’t be dug.
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