Poppy festival, military appreciation night: Local events for Memorial Day weekend
There are a number of things to do in Lexington and Central Kentucky this Memorial Day weekend, including festivals, a guided tour of a local cemetery and a military appreciation night at a Lexington Legends baseball game.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday on the last Monday each May, meant to honor deceased service men and women, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
It was first nationally established in 1868 as “Decoration Day,” when Americans would remember Union soldiers who had died in the Civil War and decorate their graves with flowers. This came after many cities and states had organized their own Memorial Days, and by 1890, every Union state had adopted it as a day of remembrance.
In 1968, Congress officially set the holiday for the last Monday in May, and in 1971, standardized the name Memorial Day.
Around 295,000 Kentuckians are veterans, according to the state’s Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
Here are events happening this weekend to honor Memorial Day.
Poppy Festival
Middle Springs Farm in Paris will celebrate Memorial Day weekend with its Poppy Festival, which will feature a large field of red poppies, the international symbol of remembrance for fallen veterans. The festival is open from May 23-26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Attendees will have the opportunity to take photos in the field, pick flowers to take home and partake in farm fun activities. There will also be a craft and vendor fair the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend.
Admission is $7.95, while veterans and kids under 2 years old get in free.
Memorial Day Cemetery Tour
People can learn about Kentucky’s military history through a guided tour of the Frankfort Cemetery on May 24.
Veterans from the American Revolution through the 20th century are buried at the cemetery, along with Kentucky notables like Daniel Boone, Presley O’Bannon, Richard Mentor Johnson and Henry Clay, Jr.
Registration before the tour is required and it costs $5 for members of the Kentucky Historical Society, and $10 for non-members. The tour will meet at the Daniel Boone monument at the cemetery, at 215 E. Main Street, and last from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Military Appreciation Night
The Lexington Legends will have a military appreciation night at the game against the Charleston Dirty Birds Saturday at 7 p.m.
Veteran and active duty service members will receive free admission with a valid ID and there will be a firework show at the end of the game.
Regular admission starts at $10 plus fees.
