Memorial Day Grave Flags, Closures and Services, Parade and Observance Event

Grave Flags Available

The Department of Veterans’ Services will decorate the graves of Veterans interred in War Lots of the Cambridge Cemetery with American Flags on May 25-26, with help from the Cambridge Veterans’ Organization, Cambridge Boys Scouts, North Cambridge Little League, and elected officials. Grave Flags will be available to the public at Cambridge Veterans Services this week during regular office hours, at Cambridge Cemetery, 76 Coolidge Ave. during office hours and on May 25-26 at Cemetery entrance, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mt. Auburn St. during office hours. Learn more.  

Memorial Day Closures and Service Information

In observance of the Memorial Day Holiday on Monday, May 27, 2019, Cambridge City offices, libraries, and senior centers will be closed.  Payments will not be required at City parking meters and parking meter pay stations, and there will be no trash, recycling, or compost pickup, and no street cleaning. Pickup routes will be one day behind schedule for the rest of that week.  Regularly scheduled street cleaning routes for May 27 will be swept on May 29. The Cambridge Cemetery office, 76 Coolidge Ave. will be closed on Memorial Day, but the gates will be open from dawn to dusk. Learn more.

Memorial Day Parade and Observance Event May 27

Cambridge Veterans' Organization (CVO) and Cambridge Veterans' Services will hold their annual Memorial Day Parade and Observance on Monday, May 27. The Parade will kick off with a cannon salute at 9:30 a.m., by the MA Bicentennial Battery on Cambridge Common, then proceed through Harvard Square, up Mount Auburn St. to Coolidge Ave., and conclude at Cambridge Cemetery, 76 Coolidge Ave. Parade participants will include veterans’ groups, elected officials, police and fire personnel, color guards, bands, drill teams and youth organizations. The Observance event will begin at 11 a.m., at Cambridge Cemetery. CVO President Philip Anderson will serve as Master of Ceremonies, and Mayor Marc C. McGovern, City Manager Louis A. DePasquale, and Director of Cambridge Veterans' Services Neil MacInnes-Barker will give the City's greetings and make brief remarks. Following the Memorial Day Observance, the Women's Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, accompanied by local elected officials, will hold a brief memorial ceremony at the Weeks Bridge in honor of the Cambridge servicemen and women who were lost at sea. Immediately following the day’s events, a collation, hosted by the Cambridge Veterans' Organization will be held at the VFW Mt. Auburn Post, #8818, at 688 Huron Ave. The public is cordially invited to attend all Memorial Day events and activities. Learn more.