The tidelanders
Things to do for Memorial Day Weekend
The Houston National Memorial Cemetery hosts an annual event honoring the veterans and fallen heroes of the United States military. We all know that without the sacrifices of our armed forces, we could not and would not be a free nation. Volunteers placed hundreds if not thousands of American flags throughout the cemetery. The flags were specifically designed to represent the patriotism of each and every one of these heroes. In 2021. there were both a small flag as well as a larger flag placed at each gravesite. This was the first public Memorial Day ceremony at the Houston National Cemetery since 2019.
Memorial Day events in Houston
The event was commemorated by remarks from various Houston VIPs, the National Anthem, a Color Guard, and the firing of a Civil War era cannon. The keynote speaker was Phillip Blackmon, Radio Host of the Phillip Blackmon Show.
Seating can be limited. The VA suggests bringing your own lawn chairs or blankets. Bottled water is available to keep visitors properly hydrated in the heat of the Houston day.
Free events for Memorial Day
The Houston Tidelanders were proud to be asked to attend and perform at the event in 2021. The program was offered to the public for free – including the performance of a subset of songs by both the Tidelanders Chorus and the Lakeside Quartet. The set of songs performed by the Tidelanders included a subset of our 2021 repertoire. That song list included show tunes like “Be Our Guest” and patriotic songs like “This is Our Country” and the “Armed Forces Medley”.
Houston Activities Near Me
The Houston Tidelanders proudly present our 2022 Southwestern District Spring Chorus Contest performance for your consideration. We performed two love songs “At Last” and “Mona Lisa”, and a spiritual song “Swing Down”. These songs were and are part of our 2022 repertoire.
About the Houston National Cemetery
Located in the northern part of Houston, the cemetery includes an administration building, a small chapel, and of course gravesites. The Houston National Cemetery consists of 419-acres and was dedicated on December 7, 1965. Since inception, the Cemetery has conducted more than 111,000 interments of Veterans and eligible dependents.
Due to the large volume of visitors on a typical Memorial Day, guests are strongly encouraged to use the grave locator prior to their visit if they want to visit a specific grave and don’t know it’s location. There are also assistants available in the administration building to help visitors locate particular graves. Guests visiting gravesites only and not attending any ceremonies on Memorial Day are encouraged to visit after 2 p.m. to avoid traffic and congestion associated with the ceremony proceedings. All guests are urged to arrive early due to limited onsite parking.