The Riverside Sons of American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Brookfield will each hold Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday, May 27, in remembrance of the U.S. soldiers who died while serving in the armed forces.
Hosted annually, the Sons of American Legion will host a Riverside Memorial Day Program that is open to the public. The ceremony is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and will be held that St. Paul IV Parish Center Gym, 97 Herrick Road. For attendees arriving by car, parking will be easily accessible.
Guests are invited to Guthrie Park’s Gold Star Memorial, located on Bloomingbank Road, at 1 p.m. for a Navy Wreath ceremony. It is dedicated to Riverside residents who lost their lives while serving in foreign wars. A wreath will be placed in the Des Plaines River as well.
In Brookfield, the public is welcome to attend a Memorial Day ceremony hosted by the Joshua Harris VFW Post 2868. Located at Veterans Memorial Park, at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Sunnyside Avenue, this ceremony is planned to begin at 11 a.m.
A keynote address will be provided at the ceremony. After the official service, attendees are invited to the Joshua Harris VFW Post, 8844 Ogden Ave. in Brookfield. Light refreshments will be provided at the VFW Post.
For more than 20 years, Veterans Memorial Park has served the Village of Brookfield as a reminder of the men and women that served in the armed forces. Dedicated on Memorial Day in 2003, the small patch of green space houses several bronze plaques. One of these plaques list the names of Brookfield’s own that served in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
On Memorial Day 2020, the Joshua Harris VFW Post 2868 placed a Battlefield Cross memorial in the park. This cross is dedicated to the residents of Brookfield who were killed in action.
Veterans Memorial Park received another addition in 2023 when war memorials were relocated to the park from Veterans Memorial Circle. The war memorials were located at the circle since 1973, when the memorial was originally dedicated by the Village of Brookfield. However, the upcoming installation of a new fountain required the relocation of the war memorials.