Here’s a few pics. from the G.R. Memorial Day Parade. The top pic. is horses. Mounted Unit Officers work a number of Special Events annually and participate in regular training programs. The unit is highly functional in law enforcement and crowd control as it has been demonstrated that 1 mounted officer is the equivalent of 12 to 14 officers on the ground.

West Catholic band in the Memorial Day Parade in downtown Gr. Rapids May 30 2023

The United States has declared war 11 times and fought in conflicts around
the world. More than 41 million Americans have served over the course of the nation’s history. More than 16 million did so in World War II alone.

Dozens of Veterans marched in the parade and hundreds gathered to watch the parade.
Boy Scouts Marching in the Memorial Day Parade in Gr. Rapids.

The YMCA in Michigan was organizing Scout troops based on Scouting for Boys as early as 1909.[1]

In 1910 the first scout troop in West Michigan, Rockford Troop 1 was formed by Merritt Lamb. Shortly after the formation of Rockford Troop 1, Merritt formed Muskegon Troop 1 and the Muskegon Council. Merritt Lamb was the 13th Eagle Scout in the nation, and the first person in Michigan to receive the Bronze Cross for Lifesaving.

Grand Rapids most famous Eagle Scout was President Gerald R. Ford.

The City of Grand Rapids has a float

The oldest Memorial Day (Civil War) was in Brooklyn NY in 1868. One of the largest Memorial Day Parades is in Washington D.C.

Civil War Reenactment Soldiers (and families) marched in the parade

Over 4,200 Kent County men served in the American Civil War. The Civil War reenactment soldiers did the gun salute.

A crowd gathered at Veterans Memorial Park for a short program after the parade.

There was a short program after the parade, which included several speakers and a gun salute.

Gayle and I found a bench to sit on during the program

The temperature at parade time was 87°. The high temperature for 5/30 was 90°. The average high temperature for Memorial Day is 75°. The low temperature for the day was 55°, so that was a 35-degree climb from the low to the high. Fortunately, the humidity was relatively low at 34%.

There is about a 25% chance of a shower or isolated t-shower this afternoon – probably not at the lakeshore, but along the lake-breeze convergence line. In a dry pattern – be grateful if you get a brief shower.