VILLAGE OF LIVERPOOL – An annual tradition dating back 103 years, the Liverpool Memorial Day parade has been canceled this year.
But American Legion Post 188 will still observe the holiday with a 9 a.m. service at Johnson Park followed by a ceremony at the Village Cemetery, on Monday May 27.
Mayor Stacy Finney pointed to the ongoing staffing shortage at the Liverpool Police Department as the primary reason for the parade’s cancellation.
“This was an extremely difficult decision to make,” Finney said, “but I am hopeful for the coming years.”
To assure the parade’s return next year, village government is adding a budget line of $6,000 for the Memorial Day Parade. “And we’re forming a committee,” Finney said.
When the parade was established here in 1921, it was organized and presented by  American Legion Post 188. A World War I veteran named Fred Kies coordinated Memorial Day ceremonies here for 60 years, from 1918 to 1978.
Current Post 188 Commander Ken Palmer noted that the parade was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and wet weather washed out the parade in other years such as 2003 and 2017.
“At any time if there is severe rain, thunder and lightning,” Palmer said, “the parade would be canceled, but the cemetery ceremony would still be held.” The cemetery tradition involves the placement of a memorial wreath and the playing of “Taps.”
Even during the pandemic, Palmer said, “Post 188 still conducted brief programs to honor our veterans.”
Finney encouraged village residents to consider attending parades in nearby towns and villages on May 27. “Many local villages that will be having a parade would welcome the village of Liverpool citizens in honoring all who made the ultimate sacrifice,” she said.
At noon on Monday, May 27, at Johnson Park the Liverpool Is The Place Summer Concert Series will kick off its 2024 season with a free concert by Off the Ground, a Syracuse Area Music Award-winning rock band based in Liverpool.