The nonprofit celebrate-commemorate Memorial Day committee invites you to the national birthplace of Memorial Day, Waterloo New York, May 22-25. Waterloo is located in Seneca County New York, exit 41 off the New York State Thruway. Waterloo residents are looking forward to this summer?s 10th annual Celebrate Commemorate activities, set for May 22-25. The event will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln with a student essay contest, Living History Civil War encampment, parade, car show and other activities. Our theme, "Waterloo Remembers " will continue pay tribute to our men and women in uniform. After all the celebrating, on May 30, in keeping with General John A. Logan's Orders, the village's veterans organizations will sponsor a solemn commemoration of the sacrifices of those who gave their lives for freedom. A new award will be presented to two of Waterloo?s outstanding citizens during the opening ceremonies of the 10th annual Celebrate Commemorate at 4:30 pm Friday, May 22. The Welles-Murray award was created by the Waterloo Library and Historical Society Board of Trustees to honor those men and women who have helped make Waterloo a better place. The first recipients will be historians Richard T. Schreck and the late John S. Genung. The award will be presented to Shreck and Rick Coe, representing Genung, at 5 pm Friday, May 22 on the lawn of the library and historical society, East Williams St. The weekend events have become a village-wide family reunion with opening day ceremonies set for 6:45 p.m. Friday, May 22nd at the Seneca County Fairgrounds. Nik and the Nice Guys will perform from 7-10 pm, followed by a fireworks display by Telstar! On Saturday and Sunday, activities get under way at 8 am with a breakfast buffet and continue non-stop throughout the day. There will be encampments and cannon firings by Civil War groups, musical concerts and entertainments every hour on the stage at Lafayette park, train and wagon rides, historic walking tours, more than100 arts and crafts vendors, and food of every variety. On Saturday at 11 am the Celebrate parade will step off and continue down Main St. to the park. Featured parade groups will include the comedy marching troupe the Hit Men. Anyone can join the lineup. Contact Doris Wolf at 315-539-8302. Sunday events include a breakfast buffet, a 5K run on a certified course through the village, and the always-popular car show, with antique and classic cars and Woodies parked along Main Street and conclude with a concert on the stage in Lafayette Park from 4:15 - 5:30 pm. The National Memorial Day museum, the village's Terwilliger Museum, and the M'Clintock House, part of Women's Rights National Historical Park, will be open during the weekend and on Memorial Day (May 30). On Saturday May 30th, the official Memorial Day, Veterans organizations will gather at 10:30 to march from the VFW to Maple Grove Cemetery for services at 11. In the evening, the traditional Memorial Day parade will march down Main Street at 6:00 pm, for ceremonies in Lafayette Park. For a complete calendar of events, please visit our web site at Waterloony.com