Marin Memorial Day weekend packed with events
Residents around the county are preparing to observe the holiday with parades, ceremonies, festivities and travel.
The holiday weekend forecast in Marin includes cool temperatures, hot pancakes and a 100% chance of stratospheric gas prices.
Temperatures are expected to be 5 to 15 degrees below average for this time of year as residents mark Memorial Day with the customary parades, ceremonies and festivities, according to the National Weather Service. Coastal drizzle could be in the mix, said Nicole Sarment, a meteorologist for the agency.
On Friday, high temperatures are expected to range from the mid-50s to the upper 60s around the county. By Monday, temperatures will be slightly higher.
“Next week, we will be warming up,” Sarment said.
Memorial Day observances will include the annual remembrance at 9 a.m. Monday at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael. The location of the ceremony was changed from its usual location, in front of the military monuments along the Avenue of the Flags, to the Marin County Exhibit Hall because of construction.
Sean Stephens, the county’s veterans services officer, said the event will include patriotic music by the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Non-Marching Band, a color guard and flag raising. The guest speaker will be Mike McCarron, a former U.S. Navy flight officer and retired captain in the U.S. Navy Reserves.
“I really am excited to honor not only the two buddies of mine we lost in Afghanistan, but all service members who didn’t make it home,” Stephens said. “It is a great day for all of us to remember who we have lost.”
“This is a day you remember those people, to your own personal self,” he said. “It is a time to mourn all of those we lost in combat.”
In Mill Valley, the annual Memorial Day parade will start at 10:30 a.m. at Lytton Square. The event theme is “strength in numbers.”
“It’s a celebration of what makes this community wonderful,” Carmel said. “But it’s also about those that laid down their lives so we could have a better life. It’s really both of those things. We really strive to get both of those messages across.”
Also in Mill Valley, firefighters plan to hold their annual breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Monday in front of City Hall, with a menu that includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, juice, milk and coffee. Donations are $15 for adults and $10 for children, and the proceeds will benefit the Mill Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association.
The Memorial Day celebration organized by Kiddo, the Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation, will include a four-day carnival at Mill Valley Middle School. The hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and noon to 5 p.m. Monday. Also, a “day on the green” event with live music and food is planned for 1 to 5:30 p.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center.
On the coast, the Muir Beach Volunteer Fire Department will celebrate its 50th annual barbecue from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at Santos Meadow. The event will feature food, live music, craft beer and wine.
In Novato, the Marin Greek Festival will be held Friday through Sunday at the Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Church at 1110 Highland Drive.
Despite the cooler weather in the forecast, community pools are still expected to have heavy attendance over the weekend.
“If you’re looking for a place to swim, it’s a great environment,” Debbie Younkin, a recreation supervisor in San Rafael, said of the Terra Linda Community Center pool. “Grab some lunch and come on over and spend the day at the pool.”
The Terra Linda pool, which opened for the season in early March, will be available for lap swimming and recreation over the weekend, but closed on Monday.
Elsewhere, the Marinwood pool opened April 1. It will be closed for emergency repairs from May 29 to 31 for a pump replacement. The Hamilton Community Pool in Novato is scheduled to open on Saturday, according to the organization’s website.
For those planning travel over the weekend, the average price of gas in Marin is $5.31, above the state average of $5.15 and the national average of $3.61, according to AAA.
In San Rafael, the average price for regular gas is $5.30. While the price has dropped from an average of $5.63 one month ago, it is still above the average price of $4.84 year over year.
“They are on the decline,” John Treanor, a spokesperson for AAA, said of the prices. “We don’t anticipate those prices to jump.”
Weekend holiday travel across the state is expected to be some of the busiest since AAA Northern California began tracking travel data in 2000, the organization said.
California is expected to have 5.65 million travelers, an increase from 5.4 million last year. Road trips will be the choice for 82% of travelers, with 11% flying and 7% choosing other options.
Nationwide, 43.8 million people — 38.4 million by car and 3.51 million by air — are projected to travel over the holiday weekend. The projection is 4% higher than last year. It is just below the 44 million Memorial Day travel record set in 2005.
“We’re expecting Memorial Day weekend numbers like we haven’t seen in almost 20 years,” said Brian Ng, an executive with AAA Northern California. “It’s not just a return to pre-pandemic levels but also foreshadows the robust summer travel season ahead.”
