News File Photo The bi-path in Alpena is lined with American flags on Memorial Day in this News file photo. Each flag honors a person from Alpena who died at war.

ALPENA — This weekend, the men and women who died while serving in the United States military will be remembered for their bravery and dedication to freedom.

On Monday in Alpena, the city’s annual Memorial Day ceremonies will be held to honor the local heroes who lost their lives or are missing in action.

The festivities begin at 9:30 a.m. at the memorial outside the Alpena County Courthouse and when it concludes, a parade will wind down 9th Avenue and then along Washington Avenue along the Thunder Bay River.

On the way, the parade will stop on the bank of the river on Washington Avenue to pay tribute to the soldiers who died at sea and a wreath will be tossed into the water in their honor.

The largest of the events happens at 11 a.m. at Little Flanders Field only a few hundred yards away where there will be guest speakers, a rifle salute, and wreaths placed in front of each row of white crosses with names of the fallen from Alpena for each war America fought in.

Memorial Day, formerly called Decoration Day, is celebrated on the last Monday in May. It originated during the Civil War when citizens placed flowers on the graves of those who had been killed in battle.

It became an official federal holiday in 1971 and is recognized also as the unofficial start of summer.