5 events happening for Memorial Day in Butler County this weekend

Multiple Butler County areas have scheduled a variety of Memorial Day events throughout the weekend to honor fallen veterans.

Memorial Day Parade: West Chester

Organized every year by VFW Post 7696 and American Legon Post 681, the West Chester Memorial Parade will proceed down Cincinnati-Dayton Road through Olde West Chester and stop at the Brookside Cemetery. While the parade is in motion, members of the West Chester/Union Township Historical Society will read aloud the names of the 700 veterans interred at Brookside. Of that 700, 100 are Civil War veterans and one is a Revolutionary War veteran.

Parade viewers are kindly asked to wash hands, maintain social distancing, and wear masks where applicable.

How to Go

Where: Cincinnati-Dayton Road, Olde West Chester

When: Monday, 10 a.m.

Cost: Free

Memorial Day Parade: Middletown

The Middletown Memorial Day Parade will start at Smith Park, proceed down Verity Parkway, and conclude at Woodside Cemetery. There will be a ceremony following the parade with several speakers, including Ohio Rep. Thomas Hall and Frank LaRose, Ohio’s Secretary of State. The grand marshals will be Don Saylor and Earl Reynolds, 95-year-old World War II veterans and best friends since they attended Jefferson School. Masks and social distancing are encouraged.

How to Go

Where: Smith Park, 500 Tytus Ave., Middletown

When: Monday, 10 a.m.

Cost: Free

Memorial Day event: Fairfield

To limit crowds, the city of Fairfield is holding a drive-by parade that will start at the Fairfield Community Arts Center and proceed past several public viewing locations: Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1069 (465 Patterson Blvd.), Fairfield Youth Playfields (4920 River Road), Waterworks Park (5133 Groh Lane), Thomas O. Marsh Park (6440 River Road), Fairfield Aquatic Center (2605 August Blvd.), Point Pleasant Park (2001 Ressor Road), and Veterans Memorial Park (701 Wessel Drive).

People are invited to view the parade from the parking lots of these locations. They will see police cruisers, a fire truck, the National Guard, and other city vehicles. Hand-held American flags will be handed out at the Fairfield Community Arts Center (411 Wessel Drive), one flag per individual, while supplies last. Spectators will be asked to maintain social distancing from non-family members.

How to Go

When: Monday, 10-11:30 a.m.

Cost: Free

Memorial Day event: Hamilton

The event will include guest speaker Frank Munafo, a graduating senior from Badin High School, and keynote speaker Mike Farmer, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and current executive director of the Butler County Veterans Services Commission. The Hamilton High School Junior Naval ROTC will lay a remembrance wreath, and there was will be a 21-gun salute for departed veterans by the Hamilton High School Junior Naval ROTC.

How to Go

Where: Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers Monument in Hamilton

When: Monday, 11 a.m.

Cost: Free

Enjoy the Arts&Parks: Memorial Day Weekend

Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the gateway to summer, ArtsWave is producing this outdoor live jazz event at Sharon Woods. The afternoon-long concert features Cincy Brass, which fuses funk, hip-hop and jazz with the essence of Bourbon St., Sister Swing, an acoustic ensemble performing their own takes on jazz favorites, and Ed “Sax” Thomas, who will perform gospel and jazz with a full rhythm section.

How to Go

Where: Sharon Woods, 11450 Lebanon Road, Sharonville

When: Saturday, 1-5 p.m.

Cost: Free

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