Memorial Day memories

Growing up in Illinois, school was still in session during this holiday, although exams and proms, etc. were winding things down.  However, being a LHS band member (playing first chair, first clarinet), this holiday meant a parade through the streets of town.  Unlike our performances at football games, we didn't have to worry about freezing our ears off, but, sometimes, the day could be hot and our wool suits would be uncomfortably warm.  We'd gather at the school, take the bus to the library, and join the "other" high school band and junior high bands, before tee-tum, tee-tum, the drummers (Gail and Joan) would hit the rim and we would march off, instruments tucked under our arms until our leader gave us the signal to start play.  Off course, we had Sousa marches (Linda would trill on the picolo), and Battle Hymn of the Republic and the Marine's Hymn.  If we were lucky, we'd get to cue up a short version of "When the Saints Came Marchin' In", but since our town was pretty "white-bread and American cheese", we didn't veer into this song very often.  We'd end up at the cemetary and our trumpeter would play taps to end the morning on a somber, reflective note.

Then, off came those nasty, sweaty uniforms as fast as we could strip back at school, on with seer- sucker shorts, tops and tennies and then--probably to meet up with our families for a picnic at Wing Park.  Some holidays, my family did a picnic at my grandparent's farm if my out of town cousins were coming from Indiana, or maybe just gather in our backyard for burgers, hot dogs, and watermelon.  If the season were ripe for it, my mom or grandmother might bake a rhubarb pie and vanilla ice cream on top would cool off our tongues at the end of a meal.

So that's a flavor of my memory bank on Memorial Day, what is yours?