Memorial Day traditions continued from Chadds Ford to Kennett Square, even under gray skies and the occasional drizzle on Monday. Attendance at the events was a little lighter than normal, and so was participation.
In Chadds Ford, the annual Memorial Day ceremony was held at the Brandywine Baptist Church. The guest speaker for the event was Liam McKelvey Wenrich, who will be graduating from Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School in June and then attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. He has been a member of the U.S. Navy Sea Cadets.
During his brief remarks, Wenrich said he has spent much time listening to the stories of U.S. military veterans and learned about patriots who gave their lives.
“Every veteran’s story and service is unique, and those stories must be honored. I will have a story of my own in a couple of years after I’m commissioned…Today, we stand at the location where some of the first American service members gave their lives. They gave their lives for a nation that wasn’t even formed yet. What they loved and were dedicated to was ahead of them, an idea of a nation unlike any other in the world. Everything we remember on this day would not be possible without the battle that was fought here, and the battles fought across the other colonies.”
He went on to say that volunteering to serve the country instead of oneself is something that should be celebrated every Memorial Day.
After the ceremony at the church, where scouts placed flowers at the graves of former U.S. military personnel, came the annual Kennett Square Memorial Day Parade. Here are some photos of that event.
The Kennett Parade
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
