60th Annual Memorial Day Parade/Service @Rosehill Cemetery (Part 1 of 2)

We did this in 2018, 2019 & 2021, & 2022, and it was a lot of fun and very moving! For those not going out of town, perhaps new to the city or without holiday plans, please join us for the 60th Annual Memorial Day Parade & Service at Rosehill Cemetery, followed by brunch at Parson's Chicken & Fish. 2022's PARADE WILL BE MORE ELABORATE, LIKE IT WAS IN YEARS PAST BEFORE COVID, SO EXPECT A SPECTACULAR EVENT!

Tentative Itinerary:
9:30 - 10 - meet & greet inside Rosehill Cemetery - grab a spot to sit
10 - 12:15 - Watch the Memorial Parade, Veterans' Service & Civil War
12:30 - 2:30 - Brunch at Parsons Chicken & Fish

BRING A CHAIR & BLANKET TO SIT ON DURING THE MEMORIAL SERVICE. PARKING INSIDE THE CEMETERY IS LIMITED DURING THE EVENT, SO COME EARLY TO FIND A GOOD SPOT-ON NEARBY STREETS!

The annual Memorial Day parade presented by Rosehill Cemetery and Amvets Post 243 will kick off at 10 am Monday, May 26th, at Clark Street and Rosehill Drive. The parade will then proceed down Clark Street to Bryn Mawr, go west to Ashland, then march on to Rosehill Cemetery.
A ceremony will be held at the Veterans Memorial Rose Garden. Kids on decorated bikes join at the end of the parade. War re-enactments will take place after the service, followed by Hot Dogs & Chips provided by the Boy Scouts of America.

I am scheduling the Memorial Day lunch as a separate event from the Memorial Day parade, to make it easier for all & since numbers are limited. If you want to join the lunch as well, please sign up for that here: https://www.meetup.com/windy-city-wineaux/events/307863248/

The Rosehill Cemetery Parade has been a tradition in Chicago for more than sixty years, and it's the largest Memorial Day parade on the North Side. Helmed by The American Legion Tattler Post.

Rosehill Cemetery contains the graves of fourteen Union generals, six drummer boys, and hundreds of Civil War soldiers. Members of the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, the unit that fired the first shots at Gettysburg, are buried here. Also buried here is a Chicago mayor who was charged with, and later acquitted of, assisting Confederate prisoners in escaping from Camp Douglas. A portion of the administration building is devoted to a Civil War Museum that features exhibits on the war, emphasizing the roles of those who are buried in the cemetery and the city of Chicago's part in the conflict.

https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/rosehill-cemetery-and-civil-war-museum
https://www.facebook.com/events/414674441448139 (from 2024)

To start for best viewing & to catch all the action, we will meet inside the cemetery at the main gates around 9:30 am. We will gather under the big trees over to the right side of the main path from the entrance gates off of Ravenswood by the old train tracks/embankment. This way we can catch the parade coming in from the street and easily move to follow it to the Rose Garden for the service & re-enactments portions. Bring a blanket or chair to sit, as well some water or sunscreen if it is hot.

At 10 am, the parade starts from Clark & Rosehill Drive, making it way to the cemetery, passing through the main gates. After the parade, we will follow the crowd over to Veterans Memorial Rose Garden to watch the wreath-laying ceremony. After the wreath ceremony, we move over to the Civil War Memorial for the reenactments & the cannon firing!

If you are taking public transportation, please check Google Maps for directions or use the CTA trip planner. https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/
If you drive, there are usually plenty of free spot
s on Ravenswood & nearby side streets. Watch for no parking and permit only signs. Due o the holiday weekend, we may need to park a few blocks away. DO NOT PARK IN THE CEMETERY ON MEMORIAL DAY, AS THAT IS SAVED FOR PARADE STUFF!

PLEASE NOTE OUR CURRENT NO SHOW POLICY:

1. 3 no-shows without updating your rsvp and you will not be able to sign up for future events for 3 months
2. cut-off time to update your rsvp is the start time of the event. If you miss the start time, then message the event host directly
3. not checking in with the event host to notify them you have arrived (for walks, tours or festival-type of events)
4. continual no-shows will result in removal from the group!