Written by Roberta Biros
This weekend we observe Memorial Day. Also referred to as Dedication Day, Memorial Day is intended to be a time to commemorate men and women of the United States armed forces who died while in military service. While many people will partake in traditional Memorial Day activities (parades, cemetery visits, and memorial presentations), there are some people that simply consider the weekend a ‘long holiday weekend’ and will use the extra time for picnics, cookouts, and parties.
I will be doing a bit of both this weekend. I will attend the Memorial Day Parade in downtown Mercer on Monday along with many Mercer County residents. The hour long parade is a testament to the patriotic pride of the people in our community. If you have an opportunity to attend, the parade begins at 11am sharp, but be sure to arrive earlier as there will be plenty of activities going on around the Courthouse beforehand.
We attended the Mercer Memorial Day parade for the first time in 2006. That was the year that we moved to Mercer County. We were amazed at the size of the parade and we were impressed by the nostalgic and old-time feel of the downtown area. It is an event that people of this area should be proud of. It is a thoroughly enjoyable affair.
The Memorial Day weekend has additional significance for me as it relates to Mercer County. Memorial Day weekend of 1986 was the first time that I ever visited Mercer County. I was invited by a girlfriend from work to come up with a group of friends to visit Greenville and spend the weekend with her family and friends as they celebrated the Memorial Day holiday. She had talked about the area a lot, and was excited to invite me to see it first hand. We all gathered at her parent’s home on N. 2nd in Greenville, and we made our way to many of the local ‘hot spots’ throughout the weekend. I was introduced to the Kidds Mill covered bridge, I had breakfast at the Greenville Dinor, and we attended a number of picnics and get-togethers. It was a blast and we all left with a new ‘connection’ to the area.
I returned again in 1988 when the same friend was getting married. This time my husband and I came to the area together. We stayed at Cianci’s (we wanted to stay at the Clark Motel, but it was fully booked), and we attended the wedding and reception in Downtown Greenville. It was the 4th of July weekend, so there were plenty of activities to keep us busy during our visit. We visited Conneaut Lake Park (a favorite childhood vacation destination for my husband), we stopped by and fed the fish and ducks at Linesville, we picnicked at Pymatuming, and we had several visits to the Greenville Dinor for nourishment. Our visit connected us to the area permanently. It became an annual destination for us for many Independence Day weekend trips.
When we decided to downsize in 2005, our choice of areas to relocate to was short. Mercer County was at the top of the list. It was also our final choice. My husband and I are very traditional. We both appreciate nostalgia, and we enjoy old-fashioned things. It is for that reason that we will be celebrating our Memorial Day weekend this year in a time-honored fashion. Today, Saturday, we will visit Conneaut Lake Park, which is scheduled to open this weekend after two years of inactivity. We will probably swing over to Linesville (‘where the ducks walk on the fish’) on our way to Hunger Busters in Jamestown for soft-serve ice cream. On Monday we will attend the Memorial Day Parade in Mercer (as observers only), and if weather permits we’ll probably end the weekend with a cookout at home followed by toasted marshmallows on an open fire.
If you have an opportunity, be sure to take advantage of one of the many local activities and ‘hot spots’ that our community has to offer. It is a great reminder of how wonderful this area is and how lucky we are to be surrounded by such great things.
Mercer County Conservatives 