Memorial Day - A Sign of the Times

A sign of indeterminate age

We found this wonderful sign tucked away between an old-fashioned safe and a storage cabinet in the caretaker's office.  The sign is a framed, hand-painted piece of wood. On the back, there are hooks with pieces of string still attached, undoubtedly left over from the last time that the sign hung on the cemetery fence.

It's hard to tell when the sign was painted, but looks like it dates to the 1940s or 50s.  Up until 1971, when the National Holiday Act established the fourth Monday in May as Memorial Day, the holiday was celebrated on May 30th, regardless of the day of the week, so a single sign could be used year after year.  

As luck would have it, Memorial Day is May 30th this year.  Memorial Day won't fall on May 30th again until 2016.

As the sign says, the Memorial Day service will be 10 a.m., and everyone is welcome. Please join us.