Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony

Arlington Heights Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony
The Village of Arlington Heights' 104th Annual Memorial Day Parade will take place on Monday, May 29th, 2023. The event is organized by the American Legion and Veterans Memorial Committee of Arlington Heights.

The parade kicks off at 9:30 a.m. sharp. The parade begins at Arlington Heights Road and Sigwalt Street, goes west to Sigwalt, turns north on Dunton, turns west on Euclid, and south on Chestnut. (Parade map below.) The parade concludes at Memorial Park, where the Memorial Day Ceremony takes place. 

This year's participants will include the 8th Illinois Cavalry Civil War Reenactor Group; Brigadier General Richard Corner, the Commanding General of the 85th Support Company; and the US Navy Honor Guard from Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes, IL. 

From the Village of Arlington Heights
While emergency services are available 24/7, Village Hall will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29th in honor and remembrance of the brave men & women of our armed forces who served and sacrificed for our freedom.

Saving Seats for the Parade
Please note that saving seats is not permitted before 7 p.m., on Sunday, May 28th. Items placed along the parade route before this time are subject to removal. While emergency services are available 24/7, Village Hall will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30th in honor and remembrance of the brave men & women of our armed forces who served and sacrificed for our freedom.

Calling All Veterans! Please Join Us to Participate in the Memorial Day Parade  
If you served in any one of the US Military Services, we would be most honored to have you participate in the Memorial Day Parade – and you don’t have to from Arlington Heights. All vets from everywhere are welcome!  Please feel free to “fall in” with one of the veterans organizations OR to join the groups of vets who join the parade. If you need to RIDE in the parade, we have volunteer jeeps and trailers drive you the whole route. Please email [email protected] for more information or if you need a ride! 

If your group or organization would like to participate in the Parade as a unit, please complete and submit the application by Monday, May 22, 2023. 

Memorial Day Ceremony: Memorial Park at 11 a.m. 

At the end of the parade, the Memorial Day Ceremony honors and remembers all those who have given their lives for our Freedoms - especially Arlington’s Fallen Heroes – the 59 young men from our town who died in the service of our Nation from the Civil War through Afghanistan.  At this Ceremony, a list of names of veterans who have passed away in the preceding 12 months will be read. 

Honoring PVT John Sieberg - Arlington Heights' 59th Fallen Hero
This year's ceremony will highlight the recent identification of a 59th Fallen Hero from Arlington Heights – PVT John Sieburg, 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment. John Sieberg's relatives, Nadine Lussman from Switzerland, and Jeff Lussman from Iowa, will be our guests of honor. Nadine will be flying in from Switzerland to speak about John's story. 

Union soldier, John Sieburg, died of wounds at age 21 on Oct 12 1863 - between the two battles of Rappahannock Station, Virginia. Records show John was a member of the 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment – the famous cavalry unit believed to have fired the first shot at the Battle of Gettysburg. 

John was an orderly and dispatch rider. Records show that he was shot through the hip while carrying a dispatch from one headquarters to another. Gravely wounded, he laid on the battlefield until his buddies snuck out at night to find him. They put him in a blanket and carried him two miles to the field hospital. His wound was so bad that the doctor stated he would not live long and prescribed pain killers. John died the next day.

Civil War records showed John’s hometown as Elk Grove, and he was not originally identified as a Fallen Hero from Arlington Heights. However, the 1860 Census of Wheeling Township shows John Sieburg, age 18, as living on a farm owned by his father, Geo (George) Sieburg, just East of the tiny town of Dunton, IL on land that is now part of the Rolling Green Country Club. The Sieburg’s were a prominent family in Arlington Heights and one of the original founding families of St Peter Lutheran Church.

John's story was recently discovered by his relative, Nadine Lussman, who was doing extensive research on her family tree from her home in Switzerland. Nadine discovered that the Sieburgs had a farm on Euclid just East of the tiny town of Dunton, IL. Nadine found the 1860 Census records as well as an 1861 map of Wheeling Township showing the Sieburg farm.

Sadly, we have not identified where John is buried. Because the Army of the Potomac was retreating at that time, many of the dead around Rappahannock Station were buried in a mass grave. We theorize that is where John is buried. On Memorial Day 2023, we will be honored to have family members of John Sieburg join us to honor his service and sacrifice.

Resident Participation: A Special Request to the Community

The Veterans Memorial Committee of Arlington Heights has provided a list of tips and ideas for residents to express their gratitude this Memorial Day: 

1. Print out the Arlington Remembers sign.  Place this sign in the windows of your home, business, school or organization. Please note that this is a two-sided sign and we encourage you to read the names of Arlington’s Fallen Heroes on the backside.
2. At the parade, wave the Arlington Remembers sign as our military and veterans pass by.
3. If you are marching in the parade, please consider carrying signs, flags or banners that say thank you veterans!” 
4. If you are watching the parade along the route, please stand up, clap and say “Thank You” to our veterans and active duty military as they march by.  For our Vietnam Veterans, say “Welcome Home.”
5. Along the parade route, consider decorating buildings with banners, signs, flags, bunting – whatever is possible.
6. Or come up with your own create way of saying “Thank You” for the service and sacrifice of our veterans and active duty military.

Map of the Memorial Day Parade Route

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