A pair of local veterans will serve as grand marshals for Memorial Day parades in the Town of North Hempstead starting on Saturday.

Port Washington American Legion Post No. 509, selected World War II Marine Corps Veteran Martin (Marty) Kramer to serve as the grand marshal for the post’s Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 29.

Kramer, when informed of being selected as grand marshal, said, ”My time in the Marine Corps was quite memorable and I would certainly do it again.”

Kramer and his wife of 67 years, Margot, currently live in Manhasset. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Campus Drive and will proceed down Port Washington Boulevard and Main Street to the Sousa Memorial Bandshell.

A Memorial Day commemorative service will take place at the bandshell following the parade.

Retired Navy Torpedoman Third Class Jim Morehead will serve as the grand marshal for Great Neck’s 97th Memorial Day Parade Monday, May 29, at 9:30 a.m. Morehead, who has served on the Great Neck Memorial Day Parade Committee for more than 25 years, first enlisted in the Navy in 1952.

After his basic training, he reported to the USS Picking ship in Newport, R.I. In April 1953, his ship was dispatched to the North Korean Coast.

Great Neck will also honor former residents Lt. Col. Martha Raye and First Sergeant John H. Starkins. Raye, an honorary Special Forces member, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Bill Clinton in 1963.

Harkins was a recipient of the Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor.

The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Susquehanna Avenue and South Middle Neck Road, ending up at the Village Green. Following the parade, a Memorial Day ceremony will take place at the Village Green before the veterans and color guards from the Vigilant and Alert fire departments march to All Saints Church.

Louise McCann, a retired U.S. Army master sergeant and chair of the Great Neck Memorial Day Parade Committee, stressed the importance of Great Neck holding its parade on Memorial Day.

“Great Neck has always had our parade on Memorial Day because it’s not about barbeques or sales at the mall,” McCann told Blank Slate Media. “It is to thank God and honor the 1.5 million Americans who died protecting our country.”

Floral Park will be designated as a Purple Heart Village and honor wounded veterans who received a Purple Heart military decoration. 

The designation as a Purple Heart Village means a municipality recognizes the sacrifice of people who have served their country, particularly those who are Purple Heart recipients and their families, according to village officials.

Ruben Pratts, a representative of the National Military Order of the Purple Heart, will be the guest speaker at the event.

The Floral Park parade will take place Monday, May 29,  at 10 a.m. The parade will start on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Plainfield Avenue before turning north onto Plainfield, west onto Jericho Turnpike and south onto South Tyson Avenue before turning onto Tulip Avenue. 

The parade will end at Veterans Memorial Park, where the village’s Memorial Day ceremony will begin at 11 a.m.

The Village of New Hyde Park will be hosting its Memorial Day Parade Saturday, May 27, at 10 a.m. 

The parade will begin on Hillside Boulevard before turning east onto Jericho Turnpike, north onto New Hyde Park Road, west onto Lincoln Avenue and finishing at Memorial Park. 

A wreath ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. before the Memorial Day Ceremony starts at 11 a.m.

The Manhasset-Lakeville Fire/Water District Board of Commissioners, the Officers of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department and the Manhasset American Legion Post 304 are sponsoring the Manhasset Memorial Day Parade and Service.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 29, and will run along Plandome Road from Plandome Court to Memorial Place. A total of 25 organizations and six bands are scheduled to march, including fire trucks from the Manhasset-Lakeville and Plandome Fire Departments.

The American Legion will place a wreath at the Gold Star Monument on Plandome Road and will also place American flags on the graves of veterans in local cemeteries with the help of Boy Scout Troop 97.

The parade will finish at Mary Jane Davies Green. Chaplain Lionel Mailloux of Manhasset Post 304 will read the Roll Call of Deceased Veterans of the past year. Performances of the National Anthem, Amazing Grace and Taps will be performed and four students from Manhasset High School and St. Mary’s High School will be honored.

The Williston Park American Legion Post 144 will host the annual Memorial Day Service and Parade starting at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 29, at the post’s grounds on 730 Willis Ave. 

The parade will begin at the post and head to Princeton St., west to Broad Street, south to Hillside Ave., west on Hillside Ave., north on Park Ave. then east on Center St., and turning south on Willis Ave. terminating at Village Hall. The parade route was modified due to construction.

A brief service will be held following the parade.

The Mineola Fire Department and Boy Scouts Troop 45 will put on the Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 29, at 11 a.m.

The parade route will start at the corner of Union Street and Westbury Avenue before heading west on Westbury to Roslyn Road, north on Roslyn to Jericho, west on Jericho to Marcellus and south on Marcellus to Memorial Park. 

A brief ceremony will be held at Memorial Park following the parade.

East Williston will be holding its 44th annual Memorial Day 5K Race on Monday, May 29, at 8:30 a.m. followed by the Little Tykes’ Race. The village’s Memorial Day Parade will then take place at 11:15 a.m. immediately followed by a ceremony at noon on the Village Green.

The Town of North Hempstead will be holding a Memorial Day Commemoration and Fireworks Extravaganza at North Hempstead Beach Park on Saturday, May 27, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The fireworks will begin around 9:15 p.m. and food trucks will be present at the event. The event, while free, will charge $10 for parking except for veterans and active duty military. Music from Decadia featuring songs from the ‘80s to today will also be playing during the event.

“Memorial Day serves as an opportunity to honor the members of our Armed Forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms,” Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in a statement. “I urge all who attend to take the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices made by these brave men and women for our country.”