Memorial Day is Monday, but there are events already starting later this week.
While the origin stories vary, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic and first observed May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, according to the U.S. Memorial Day organization web site.
"This is a day when we as Americans come together to honor our men and women who have fallen, defending their beliefs in the freedom of America," Ft. McAllister Park Director Daniel Brown said.
Ft. McAllister is putting on its annual Memorial Day Weekend Program Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The day’s festivities will focus on the life of the common Confederate soldier, including musket and cannon demos and special salutes fired in honor of those who have died in war.
There will also be two lectures on "The History of Landmines to the Present," at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The guest speaker is Jack Imber who locates, identifies and destroys explosives with a specialty in landmines. Admission for the day is $4 for adults and $2.50 for children. Active military and families are free with a current military ID. For more information, call Brown at 727-2339.
Monday, Richmond Hill will hold a Memorial Day program in J.F. Gregory Park beginning at 11 a.m. with local officials.
Next weekend, the Pembroke American Legion Auxiliary, Boy Scout Troop 357 and the American Legion Post 164 will have their program near the caboose on Saturday, May 31, at noon. Following the program, food will be served. For more information, contact Cindy Milloy at 653-5878.
Fort Stewart is having a Memorial Day ceremony Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at the Marne Garden. To find out more information, call the Public Affairs office at 767-8666.
On Tybee Island, Fort Pulaski is hosting their Memorial Day program Saturday with cannon firings and soldier demonstrations.
The Department of Natural Resources also wants everyone to remember the rules this Memorial Day weekend, when thousands of boaters and anglers will be out in state waters.
Last year, there were 142 boating accidents and 17 boating-related deaths in Georgia, and DNR Conservation Rangers made 189 boating under the influence arrests.
Boating statistics and information about how to take a boating safety course can be found online at www.goboatgeorgia.com. Contact Melissa_cummings@dnr.state.ga.us for more information.
Here are some rules provided by the DNR:
- While it is not illegal to have open containers or to drink while operating a boat, the conservation rangers will be on the lookout for boat operators who appear to be under the influence (BUI), so get a designated driver. People arrested for a BUI may lose their right to operate a boar, will be charged with a misdemeanor and may receive a fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 12 months in prison. There is a zero tolerance for those under the age of 21 with a blood alcohol level of .02.- Everyone should wear a life jacket. Children under the age of 10 are required by law to wear one on a moving boat.
- Check your boat’s weight capacity to be sure you don’t carry too many people.
- Check navigation lights and use them at all times while on the water. Watch your speed and remember the 100-foot law, which prohibits operation at more than idle speed within 100 feet of any other vessel on the water.
- Due to drought situations in Georgia, be extra cautious of lower water levels and navigational obstructions.
- Be aware of minimum age requirements for boating operators. A complete list can be found at goboatgeoriga.com under "Boating Regulations."
- Rules of the waterways say boat operators should pass on the right side, stay as far right as possible in narrow rivers and streams, be careful around bends and curves and remember that powerboats need to yield to sailboats.