The American Legion, Fort Hill Post 376 Honor Guard rifle salute at the Riverview Cemetery.  (Photo by Jeanie Petersen.)

OXFORD – Memorial Day has become the most important day of recognition of our armed forces. It’s a day we remember and honor our country's heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. On this Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, the parade and four memorial services will take place in Oxford, rain or shine. 

   

The Oxford  American Legion’s Fort Hill Post 376 will begin the day at 8:00 a.m. with  the  wreath laying ceremony and rifle salute at the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery on West State Street. 

 

The parade will start lining up at 8:15 a.m. at the American Legion, at 17 South Washington Avenue. The parade step-off will be at 9:00 a.m. (sharp). It will be led by the Village of Oxford Police Dept (lead parade vehicle), the Post #376 Honor Guard and Rifle Squad, Legionnaires, and the Auxiliary. The parade will feature the Village of Oxford Mayor Terry Stark, veterans in cars, NYS Veterans' Home at Oxford, and the ALA Poppy Princess. The parade will feature the Oxford Community Band. Marching will be the Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, American Heritage Girls troop, My Daughters Farm, Faith Bible Church, and OYSP. 

Also marching will be the Village of Oxford Fire Department and the Fire Department Explorers, the Greene Fire Dept, and the Preston Fire Department. The Emergency Squad will be there with the Ambulance. (Not in exact parade order.) 

 

Along the parade route, be sure to wave to the 2026 American Legion Auxiliary’s Poppy Princess, 10-year-old, Aleigha Adams. Aleigha honors her grandfather, Glenn P. Davis II, a US Army veteran. ALA Junior member, Aleigha, proudly represents the Memorial Poppy and what it stands for. Red crepe paper poppies will be distributed by Oxford Academy Poppy Poster contest winners, in exchange for contributions to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans. Please give generously. 

 

A salute honoring those who died at sea will be given at the Main Street Bridge (that crosses over the Chenango River). Oxford Legion’s Auxiliary president Terrill Sutton will perform the wreath ceremony, tossing a memorial garland into the Chenango River, followed by a rifle salute. 


The parade will turn North, up the hill on Albany Street, to the Riverview Cemetery with a ceremony and speeches (at approx. 10 am), honoring the memory of the departed and a rifle salute. The Roll Call of the Deceased will be read by the Post Chaplain, Steve Estelow; who will also read the invocation and benediction. There will be readings by the American Heritage Girls of “We Honor You Today”, a selection from the “Gettysburg Address”, and “Thank a Vet”. “In Flanders Fields” will be read by Madelyn Heir, the 2026 ALA Empire Girls’ State delegate. The National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, will be played by the band.

 

Plan your after-the-parade lunch with some BBQ chicken cooked by the SAL. This Legion fundraiser will be ready starting at 8:30 a.m., at the Post 376 Legion, on the Route 12 side. 

 

Following the Riverview Cemetery ceremony (at approx.11 am) the Legion honor guard will go to the Warn-TenBroeck Cemetery (seven miles south of Oxford), to place a wreath and to salute the deceased.  

For more info, contact Post 376, Jessica Henninge – jdhenninge@gmail.com, or (Legion) 607-843-8166; or email  events@oxfordny.com  . Visit  http://oxfordlegion.com/