GRAFTON, Mass. - Hundreds joined the American Legion and Veteran’s Advisory Committee in Grafton for an annual Memorial Day Observance which takes place throughout the whole town. The parade route is up North Street and ends on the Common, but ceremonies in Grafton started early Monday morning.

Prior to the parade, veterans made 11 stops around town to honor the lives of those who served.

“The cemeteries are good," Andrew Tillotson said. "We're one of the few towns that still do the cemeteries on Memorial Day itself. A lot of the towns try to get it done early. And it means a lot to the people in town to do that for them.”

Tillotson said he looks forward to the town coming together for the annual ceremonies.

“It's good to be able to participate in that and show support for the people and their families,” Tillotson said.

“I've been in Grafton now for going on pretty much 90 years," Walter Wojnar said. "Except for 16 months in Korea.”

As the parade ended at Grafton Common, Wojnar read the names of fallen service members originally from Grafton who died in WWI, WWII and the Korean War.

Wojnar said it’s important to find time to remember those who gave their lives.

“This day and age, there's so much going on with family life that they can't, you know, really find the time to spend a day to remember their buddies and people that didn't make it home," Wojnar said. "People are called, most of us were drafted. We were not soldiers. We were told, here's a gun and here's how you use it.”

And as Memorial Day marks the “unofficial beginning of summer” for many, Wojnar and Tillotson said the annual ceremonies are a reminder of the true meaning of the holiday.

“We’re going to do it as long as we can,” Wojnar said.

“Memorial Day is for those who gave all of it," Tillotson said. "Everybody thanks the veterans here today, but it's not about the veterans; Veteran's Day is for the veterans. It's about the ones who gave everything.”