City of Columbus hosts Memorial Day celebration
Columbus is a strong contender as the home of Memorial Day with the commemorations supposedly starting at Friendship Cemetery.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The founding of Memorial Day is a hotly debated topic.
Many cities claim to be the home of the holiday.
One such place is Columbus.
Mayor Keith Gaskin expanded on that history.
“Today we’re celebrating Memorial Day, which by many accounts, began here in Columbus at Friendship Cemetery,” Gaskin said. “Where a few local women were out honoring the Confederate dead. And they noticed that no one had put anything on the Union soldiers’ graves. And so they decided to lay flowers there as well. Because those individuals had mothers and fathers and sisters someplace. So it was kind of seen as the first coming together after the Civil War.”
For years, there have been Memorial Day commemorations for fallen soldiers at Friendship Cemetery in Columbus.
This year, the historically African American Sandfield Cemetery was also included as a site of remembrance.
Mayor Gaskin said the commemoration at Friendship was especially touching for one Gold Star mother.
“The event this morning was the first time she had her Taps since his service,” Gaskin said. “And she was very emotional, but also very appreciative that there was an event today that she knows that her son is being remembered again.”
Stephen Jones, an event organizer, said remembrance is one of the most important things a citizen can do.
“A lot of them die for the freedoms that we have,” Jones said. “So commemorating that I think is one of the best things that we could do as a citizen.”
In previous years, ceremonies ended at the cemetery.
But this year, for the first time, the city is putting on a Traditions, Taste, and Tunes celebration at the Columbus Riverwalk.
Jones said it’s a no-brainer to have this event in Columbus.
“It basically started in Columbus,” Jones said. “With so many other cities and so many other states are doing stuff on
Memorial Day, and getting good tourism from it. So we thought that why not Columbus?”
Gaskin hopes people took away a sense of appreciation from the day.
“There’s so much division in our country,” Gaskin said. “And I hope that events like this will cause us to stop and appreciate one another. And the sacrifices that all have given for this country, the freedoms that we celebrate here. But then again, the most important thing is to thank all the men and women who served our country. And then to also have a special event where we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
About 25 locations in the US have a connection to the beginning of Memorial Day.
The Library of Congress recognizes Columbus as being the first place to organize memorial day.
