Memorial Day in Boalsburg, May 31, 2021

Memorial Day in Boalsburg, for those of us who live here, usually involves multiple days of the Fire Company’s Carnival; a parade through town; a full day of activities throughout the downtown area, with over 130 venders selling crafts and food; music on the Diamond; and tours of the Heritage Museum, the Boal Mansion Museum and the Pennsylvania Military Museum. Thousands of people descend on the area each Memorial Day holiday. Until last year, when everything was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic ravaging the country.

Last year when events were cancelled, it was decided to still hold the simple program honoring Memorial Day, with a brief service that was conducted by key people in the community. Our lost loved ones were still honored and the graves were decorated, just as they had been since 1864.

A statue of the three women who first decorated the graves of their loved ones in 1864.

This year, the decision to hold or cancel events had to be made in early April and at that time States and communities were in different stages of opening up to travel and group gatherings. Thus, the large group festivities were cancelled again, except for the Memorial Day service. Tonight, there will be a simple service honoring all the loved ones who were lost during war time. The graves are now decorated, just as they have been since 1864. It’s a beautiful sight to see the church yard all decorated with flags and flowers. It really keeps the meaning of the holiday front and center in our minds. If you’d like to know more about Boalsburg, go to http://historicboalsburg.com.

This year, Kathy, her mother-in-law Karen, Ben and Anna spent the day with me in Boalsburg. With only a few extra people in town we were able to enjoy touring the Boalsburg museums and appreciate the whole meaning of the holiday.

We started at the Pennsylvania Military Museum. We first saw a 10-minute video of all the action seen by Pennsylvania service men and women over the years. The kids loved the big tanks and the gift shop (of course!). To learn more about this museum, go to http://pamilmuseum.org.

We had a private tour of the Boal Mansion Museum and the Columbus Chapel. Amazing backdrop to the whole history of the area. Incredible artifacts and documented stories of the Boal family genealogy that would be of interest to historians as well as locals. It’s only been the last five years or so that so much material has been unearthed and documented. An amazing treasure trove! To see information and many more photos about this site, go to http://boalmuseum.com.