There’s a full slate of Memorial Day events in Naperville set for this Monday, May 26.
Multiple Memorial Day ceremonies:
A number of ceremonies will take place throughout the morning, including:
- 7:45 a.m. – Commander Dan Shanower / 9-11 Memorial at City Hall, 400 S. Eagle St.
- 8:15 a.m. – G.A.R. Monument on the south side of the Naperville Cemetery, 705 S. Washington St.
- 8:35 a.m. – Veterans Park, 100 E. Gartner Road
- 9:00 a.m. – Saints Peter & Paul Cemetery, 911 North Avenue
- 9:25 a.m. – Burlington Square, 307 N. Ellsworth Street
- 12 p.m. – Memorial Day Observance Ceremony, Central Park, 104 E. Benton Ave.
At 3 p.m., there will also be a National Moment of Remembrance, in which all are asked to observe a moment of silence for those who lost their lives in service to our country.
Memorial Day Parade
The highlight of the day will be the annual Memorial Day Parade, which will kick off at 10:30 a.m. at the corner of West Street and Jackson Avenue.
This year’s parade will feature more than 50 entries, with various veteran groups, scout troops, and the Naperville Municipal Band among those taking part. It will wind its way down Jackson, up Washington Street, then will turn on Benton Avenue, making a final jog onto Court Place to end at Central Park, where the observance ceremony will follow.
NCTV17 will broadcast the parade LIVE both online and on air.
Craig Frier to be this year’s parade marshal
U.S. Navy veteran Craig Frier has been chosen as this year’s parade marshal. Frier was a naval lieutenant who served from 1967 through 1972. During that time he worked on U.S. Navy destroyers in a number of roles: repair officer, damage control assistant, first lieutenant, operations officer, and chief engineer.
He was stationed in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968.
Frier hails from Naperville and graduated from Naperville Community High School. After his time in the service, he would go on to become the senior vice president at ServiceMaster Inc., a role he held for 27 years.
Dennis Regan to be officer of the day
Dennis Regan, a life member of Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873, has been named the officer of the day in this year’s Memorial Day events.
Regan served in the United States Army from 1965 to 1971, spending some of that time in Vietnam with the 1st Logistical Command, transporting military equipment and supplies throughout South Vietnam.
Regan joined the U.S. Army Reserve in 1977, serving until July 2004, in various roles. Notably, he was the lead instructor observer in the 75th Training Division, training reservists and National Guard members deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was also picked to take part in a Pentagon U.S. Army Project centered around leadership training programs.
He’d go on to become a computer-based training instructor with a Department of Defense contractor. Regan is also an active volunteer in the community.
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