Next Monday is Memorial Day!
Established following the Civil War in 1868, the day was declared a federal holiday to mourn United States military personnel who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. For 100 years, until 1968, the day was always observed on May 30. Then for the purpose of creating another three-day weekend holiday, the date of the observance was moved to the last Monday in May. This year traditionalists can rejoice as, for the first time since 2016, Memorial Day will actually fall on Monday, May 30.
Having a nice three-day break to welcome in what folks around these parts often view as the official beginning of the summer season is always a plus. Still, like all too many traditions of the past, the true intent of the day has given way to picnics, river lot openings, sporting tournaments, and related activities, with the remembrances of fallen heroes sometimes relegated to secondary status.
As you make plans for whatever is on our schedule this weekend, please make it a point to pause for a moment of reflection. Thank a veteran, visit a cemetery, raise the flag, or attend one of the several observances taking place in local communities. One of the more moving is the Memorial Day program to be held Saturday at Williamsport’s Veterans Park located on West Fourth Street. What began as a small tribute has been transformed by volunteer efforts into a beautiful site of honor with individual memorials saluting the fallen heroes of past American conflicts.
There is no question that Memorial Day and sports activities certainly go hand-in-hand, with so many events packed into the three-day weekend. Based on the variety of those sporting events, it might just make it the best holiday on the sports calendar. Included in these events will be the pre-holiday beginning of the District IV baseball and softball playoffs which got underway this week.
Perhaps the granddaddy of the Memorial Day events is the Indianapolis 500, which began in 1911 and is the world’s oldest automobile race still in operation. I have never been an avid car racing fan, but one year’s attendance at the races in Watkins Glen provided a first-hand experience with the sport. Thanks to some ‘connections’ provided by friend Barry Rake it was a memorable day for a racing rookie. We were granted garage entry prior to the race and then watched most of the race from pit row, where the action was fast and furious.
Attending the Indy 500 had long been one of these items on my sports ‘bucket list.’ During my tenure as Central Region Director for Little League Baseball, some friends made that happening come true. While the race is the focal point, the community of Speedway, Indiana, is one big party town for several days leading up to the green flag sendoff. My buddies made sure they showed me as much of it as possible, and the sights were indeed plentiful.
It is one of those places sports’ fans need to experience. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway seems like it was dropped right in the middle of the town itself called Speedway, whose 2020 census population was 13,952. The facility has a permanent seating capacity of 257,325. When adding the congregation in the infield, that number goes considerably higher. It has been estimated that as many as 350,000 have jammed the place on occasions.
Entering the speedway is an experience I’ll never forget. A quarter of a million people jamming themselves thru the turn styles seemingly all at the same time. They came with plenty of food and liquid refreshment, and those without grandstand seating made a beeline for the best viewing spots in the mammoth infield area.
We arrived several hours before race time, and I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that our seats were in the grandstand about twenty rows up and some 50 yards from the finish line in front of us. The pre-race activities included Jim Nabors steering singing of Back Home Again in Indiana, the Purdue Marching Band’s ceremonial music, the introduction of the race car drivers, and the uttering of the most famous words in motorsports, “Gentlemen start your engines” sent chills up your back and raised the hair on your arms.
There is no question that you can see the race much better by watching TV, but the roar of the 33-car field as they charge forward at the dropping of the green flag was something I’ll never forget. The cars are a bit of a blur as they race around the track’s 2.5-mile oval, but on the final lap toward the checked flag, the energy level of the fans is off the chart.
It is a bit ironic that with so many ‘adult beverages’ consumed by the fans, the winning driver drinks a pint of milk at the end of the race, carrying on a tradition established in 1936 by winner Louis Meyer who guzzled a post-race bottle of chilled buttermilk. It has also been estimated that if all the Indy 500 hot dogs and bratwurst sold on race day were placed end-to-end, they would circle the racing oval more than three times.
Think about that when you’re turning those hot dogs on the backyard grill. But more importantly, take the time to remember what Memorial Day is all about. Without the sacrifices made by those we honor on this day; you might not be having those backyard cookouts!
