Mackinac State Historic Parks will hold a brief and informal Memorial Day observance on Monday, May 25, at 8:30 a.m., honoring the soldiers once stationed at Fort Mackinac and those who gave their lives in service to the country.

The observance will begin behind Fort Mackinac at the North Sally Port and follow the traditions of the 1880s-era soldiers who once carried out Decoration Day ceremonies on Mackinac Island.

“We are pleased to continue the tradition of Decoration Day at Fort Mackinac as the soldiers would have done historically,” said Steve Brisson, director of Mackinac State Historic Parks. “We encourage all to attend this simple and solemn commemoration with us.”

Costumed interpreters will lead attendees in a procession from Fort Mackinac to the Post Cemetery, where a short ceremony and salute will take place. Brisson will speak during the observance while interpreters place a wreath on the grave of Captain Edwin Sellers.

The ceremony will also include the playing of taps, a rifle salute, and period songs performed by soldiers before the procession returns to Fort Mackinac.

The annual observance offers visitors a chance to reflect on the meaning of Memorial Day while experiencing a tradition rooted in Mackinac Island’s military history.

More information about the event and Fort Mackinac can be found at MackinacParks.com.