May 2019
This year marks the 154th continuous year that the citizens of Taylor County will lead the people of West Virginia in paying homage to all those brave men and women who have served our nation making the ultimate sacrifice. The committee was very fortunate to be able to keep this tradition alive with the cancellation of the “Official” 153rd Memorial Day Parade in 2020 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. A small symbolic parade took place last year to continue to honor our fallen and keep Grafton’s tradition alive.
The West Virginia Memorial Day Committee made the decision at the February 2021 meeting to move forward with organizing Memorial Day weekend ceremonies concluding with the 154th Annual West Virginia Memorial Day Parade. Our plans are to move forward with perseverance, and with crossed fingers, that the State of WV lifts restrictions on Fairs and Festivals prior to Memorial Day weekend. We will be working hard to have protocols in place for social distancing of our parade participants. It will be up to all of us as a community, State and Country to respect these protocols to allow us once again to come together to enjoy the freedoms we cherish because of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.