Despite steady rainfall, the Milton Memorial Day Parade proceeded Sunday as planned, with participants noting that the inclement weather paled in comparison to the conditions endured by those the day was meant to honor.

Civic organizations and businesses joined a long procession that began on North Road near Kent’s Locust Grove Brewery. The parade wound past the Milton Firehouse, across Route 9W and into Cluett Schantz Park, where officials gathered at the bandstand to reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day.

U.S. Rep. Patrick Ryan, D-N.Y., an Army veteran, called on Americans to preserve the stories of those who served.

“We have to honor the veterans by name and carry forward their stories and their legacies,” Ryan said. “It’s up to all of us to live up to the sacrifice that they made to be servants to this community and to this country.”

State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-Saugerties, paid tribute to those who gave their lives in service.

“Today we recognize the sacrifices of ordinary people who chose to live their lives in extraordinary ways — people who put everything on the line and gave all of their tomorrows so that we can live in a strong and free America,” Hinchey said.

Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger connected the day’s observance to the nation’s founding ideals.

“Today we reflect on the ideals that shaped our nation’s founding and the generations who have defended those ideals,” Metzger said. “Especially in this time of intense division nationally, it’s important that we reflect on the values that bind us together as a nation.”

Ulster County Legislator Laura Donovan, who represents District 11, noted the added significance of this year’s observance as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.

“Memorial Day asks us to celebrate the freedoms that we enjoy while also carrying the weight of what those freedoms cost,” Donovan said. “Freedom is not abstract — it was secured by real people with families, futures and dreams of their own.”

Ulster County Legislator Dominick Marino, District 10, offered a direct tribute to those in uniform.

“We are able to live in freedom because of our veterans and our troops who fight every single day to make sure that we can live in peace and have our basic human rights,” Marino said.

State Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson tied the commemoration to civic responsibility.

“Before the Revolution we were subjects, and after the war we became citizens,” Jacobson said. “I think all of us should participate in our country in any way we can as citizens so that our values will always be there.”
Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa called the day one of unity.

“To me, Memorial Day means a sense of service and gratitude for being in one of the greatest nations on the planet,” Figueroa said. “Today is a day of unity because we all want the same things, just in different ways.”

Tom Corcoran, a Marlborough Building Department official, urged those gathered to extend their remembrance beyond ceremony.

“Memorial Day is not a celebration of war — it’s a profound pause to honor the human cost of our freedom,” Tom Corcoran said. “We must honor the fallen not just with words we speak today but with the lives we live tomorrow.”

Milton Town Supervisor Scott Corcoran closed with a message about the personal toll of military service.

“Behind every name, behind every flag placed at a service member’s grave, is a heartbreaking human story,” Scott Corcoran said. “For those left behind, the price of our freedom leaves an empty chair at their dinner table for a lifetime.”

“Let their courage humble us, their sacrifice guide us and their legacy inspire us to be the United States of America,” he added.