Due to inclement weather forecasted on Long Island for Monday, May 25, Memorial Day parades in Freeport, Roosevelt and other nearby communities have been canceled. However, Freeport residents are invited to attend a Memorial Day ceremony at Freeport High School on Monday at 10 a.m. that will still celebrate the sacrifices and legacies of local and national heroes.
The Freeport Memorial Day Parade, largely organized by American Legion's William Clinton Story Post 342, had intended to continue the annual tradition of honoring the various service members within the village. Fortunately, the celebration of service and community will still occur at a ceremony at Freeport High School, located at 50 South Brookside Avenue.
Village of Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy, who is also a U.S. Navy veteran, will be among the several elected officials and community members who will be taking part in the new program.
Additional special guests include Laura Smith, descendant of Benjamin Raynor, who founded Raynortown which eventually became Freeport, and whose family were patriots during the American Revolutionary War.
Stacey Rose, a descendant of fellow American Revolutionary soldier Benjamin Lattimore Sr., who served despite being racially discriminated against for being Black, will also be in attendance. Both Smith and Rose were asked to be grand marshals of the Freeport Memorial Day Parade, which they graciously accepted prior to its cancellation.
Nassau County Sheriff's Honor Guard and Freeport High School students will also be participating in the program.
