Celebrations

Gilbertsville is host to a wide range of celebrations throughout the year. Check the Mayor's Blog and other online sources for details of events not described here.

Memorial Day

On the last Monday of May every year, Gilbertsville pays homage to the men and women who have given their lives in service to the United States of America. Men and Women from the Village of Gilbertsville have been serving our country since the Revolutionary War, and continue to do so today. We thank them for their sacrifice, and honor their graves on Memorial Day every year. 

Image courtesy of Marlene Brooks

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Traditionally, the Gilbertsville Post of the American Legion coordinates the Memorial Day Parade and Events.
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The following timeline is intended to serve as a record of what has happened in the past, with the hope of guiding the future.

Image courtesy of Marlene Brooks

• The weekend of Memorial Day, the Village DPW puts up no parking signs along the Parade Route. 
• ​Village Organizations gather on the corner of Grove Street and Sylvan Street to line up for a parade between 8:30 and 8:45 the morning of Memorial Day.
• Village residents who are not marching gather along the parade route. Residents are encouraged to sit or stand between the sidewalk and the street to avoid blocking others from passing on the sidewalk. 
• The Parade begins at 9:00 AM, lead by the Gilbertsville Post of the American Legion, Followed by the GMU Marching Raiders, then the Fire Department, Auxillary, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, other community organizations, and finally a group of classic cars.

• The parade route moves north along Grove Street, turning left onto Bloom Street. The Legion, Marching Band, Fire Department, Auxillary, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts encircle Fiddlers Green at the intersection of Bloom, Spring, and Commercial Streets.
• The Boy Scouts execute a flag raising ceremony, and the Marching Band performs the National Anthem.

Image courtesy of Marlene Brooks

Image courtesy of Marlene Brooks

• The Parade reassembles to move up Commercial Street, taking a right onto Marion Avenue, then into the Presbytarian Church parking lot. There is a path behind the church that leads through the woods and up the hill to Brookside Cemetery. The cemetery is also accessible via Cemetery Road across from Christ Church.
• In the cemetery, the American Legion introduces a series of speakers. Traditionally, a religious invocation from a speaker of one of the Village Churches, "The Gettysburg Address" and "In Flanders Fields" given by the GMU representatives of Girls State and Boys State, and an invited guest speaker. Following speeches, the American Legion performs a 21-gun salute, taps, and a moment of silence.

• The parade then travels back down to the Marion Avenue bridge crossing over the Dunderberg Creek and reassembles. The Gilbertsville Auxillary facilitates an "Anchors Aweigh" ceremony, which includes tossing a wreath into the Dunderberg and a performance of the same name by the marching band. 
• Immediately beside the bridge is "The Overlook" which includes flags for each branch of the United States Military. The Boy Scouts lead a flag raising ceremony for each branch.
• The parade retraces back down Commercial Street to Bloom Street to Grove Street to complete the ceremonies.

Independence Day

Information needed for this schedule of events. Please email mayor@gilbertsvilleny.gov if you have or need information about the schedule of events.

Last updated 2022-Jun-11