South Berkshire Parades: Plus, What’s Open and Closed on Memorial Day

This year, Memorial Day will be observed on the final day of May. In my days, we took time to reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country on May 30th, the traditional Decoration Day, NOT on the final Monday of the month.

People should NOT see this as an extra day off as this is a moment to pay respects to those who died in battle defending our freedoms. We salute those men and women in uniform who have given ALL and even though public get togethers are slowly but surely coming back, everybody should take a minute and say a prayer for those no longer with us.

Here is a list of what's open and what's not for this Monday:

CLOSED: ALL Federal, State and local offices, NO mail delivery on Monday.

ALL financial institutions

Schools AND learning institutions including grades K through 12, colleges and universities.

BRTA (Berkshire Rapid Transit Authority) NO bus service on May 31st. ALL routes resume their regular schedules on Tuesday, June 1st.

ALL local Department of Motor Vehicles offices.

OPEN: National and State Parks will welcome visitors including sites that specifically honor military service members

Restaurants will be open. Call ahead to check if their hours or operating procedures change due to any further COVID-19 restrictions. Military Veterans and active service members can also take advantage of discounts as establishments would like to thank those who serve our country with pride.

Last year, movie theaters were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns have since eased as you can take in a film this weekend. The drive-in theater made a comeback in 2020 as those who still show outdoor movies will officially begin a new season on the "unofficial start of summer".

Many areas in our community have not yet incorporated parades to honor our fallen soldiers on Memorial Day. The village of West Stockbridge will acknowledge the day with a parade that begins on South Street at 10 am on Monday morning. marchers continue to Main Street (route 41) and end at Town Hall on route 102. The event concludes at 10;30 am with a short ceremony situated in front of the War Memorial. Those in attendance should wear masks or face coverings and observe proper social distancing guidelines.

Also, on Monday at 11:00 AM there will be a Memorial Day Parade and ceremony at Barnard Park on Main Street in the Town of Sheffield. Motorists should expect delays and temporary road closures and should seek alternate travel routes if traveling North or South on Route 7. Additionally Berkshire School Road will be closed from Salisbury Road to the police station from about 10:15 AM to 11:15 AM to allow the parade participants to line up.