Air Force veteran Ann Kuo salutes during the playing of the national anthem during The Reston Chorale's “A Star-Spangled Salute,” with the Brass Band of Northern Virginia.
Residents in Fairfax County observed Memorial Day weekend and the Monday observance with various ceremonies, wreath presentations, musical performances, and other events. “Memorial Day is a day of reflection and remembrance of those who died while serving in the U.S. military,” states the Congressional Research Service, a non-partisan research agency within the Library of Congress that provides analysis to members of Congress and their staff. Communities in Fairfax County recognized the importance of the day, and each observed the day differently.
Town of Vienna
Photo by Mercia Hobson/The Connection
Families enjoy the Merry-Go-Round at the Viva! Vienna! 2025.
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Crowds packed the exhibit runway at Viva! Vienna! 2025.
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The Viva! Vienna! Town Festival Memorial Day Tribute was held on the Vienna Town Green on Monday, May 26.
Viva! Vienna!
Memorial Day weekend is time for Viva! Vienna! a charity festival that featured a carnival with 24 rides suitable for ages two and up, live entertainment, food vendors, and the Brewfest Beer Garden.
Organized by the Rotary Club of Vienna, the event drew at least 60,000 attendees over the three-day Memorial Day weekend, reported Gunnar Spafford, of Rotary. “It might be a little bit more, just because none of the pools are opening. The weather is too cold, but it is perfect for a carnival.
“All proceeds go to charity; we raised $249,000 last year.” Gunnar said. $40,000 is always set aside for the following year's seed money, $1,000 for a rainy day fund, and the rest distributed to charities.”
Town of Herndon
Photo by Mercia Hobson/The Connection
Over 70 motorcyclists from across the region gathered early Saturday morning of Memorial Day Weekend to join Jimmy Cirrito, owner of Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern in Herndon, for their famous “Rolling to Remember.” The ride rolled through the Town of Herndon, with Mayor Keven LeBlanc waving them off (pictured here). The pack rode to Great Falls and down the George Washington Parkway, ending at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Photo by Mercia Hobson/The Connection
CHESTNUT GROVE CEMETERY, HERNDON: Guest speaker Chief Master Sergeant Brett W. Hamilton opened his Memorial Day remarks: “Brothers and Sisters from the Professions of Arms, distinguished guests, Gold Star families, and fellow Americans,” he said. The Memorial Day Observance 2025, which was organized by the American Legion Wayne M. Kidwell Post 184 and the Town of Herndon and held at Chestnut Grove Cemetery.
“From the muddy trenches of World War I to the remote jungles of Vietnam, from the sands of the Persian Gulf to the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, and in countless conflicts in between, American service members have laid down their lives. … Today, we honor the fallen. We remember their names, their faces, and their stories. We remember the dreams they left unfulfilled, the families they left behind, and the futures they never got to experience. Their sacrifice is immeasurable, their debt to us incalculable. As members of the military community, we bear a special responsibility. We are the torchbearers of their legacy.” Hamilton is the Career Field Manager and Chief for Accession Policy Headquarters, Air Force.
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‘Lest We Forget,’ the red poppy honors the war dead and their sacrifice. Michael Cutler, 2nd Vice Commander, and Robert Thompson, bugler and First Vice Commander of the American Legion Wayne M. Kidwell Post 184, support the American Legion Auxiliary's annual Poppy Fundraiser as they wear their poppies on Memorial Day.
Photo by Mercia Hobson/The Connection
Members of the American Legion Wayne M. Kidwell Post 184 erected the powerful and beautiful Avenue of Flags, located at Chestnut Grove Cemetery in the Town of Herndon on Memorial Day 2025. Veterans and volunteers dropped poles into the ground in two-person teams. They raised over 60 casket flags in their care, which were donated by the families of interred veterans, creating the Avenue of Flags. This patriotic feature flanked the entrance to the cemetery.
Reston
Photo by Tim Kuro
The Reston Chorale’s “A Star-Spangled Salute" honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice and featured patriotic music with the Brass Band of Northern Virginia on Sunday, May 25, at the Reston Town Center Pavilion. Reston Town Center and the Reston Town Center Association presented the concert.
Photo by Tim Kuro
Air Force veteran Ann Kuo salutes during the playing of the national anthem during The Reston Chorale's “A Star-Spangled Salute,” with the Brass Band of Northern Virginia.
Great Falls
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From left, Keynote speaker Robert (Bob) Wallace, Supervisor Jimmy Bierman (Dranesville), Ronell Chatmon, of the office of the late U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly and Andy Wilson, president of the Great Falls Freedom Memorial and retired Army Ranger officer at the Memorial Day Ceremony 2025 held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial
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A partial view of the crowd at the Monday, May 26, Memorial Day ceremony held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial to honor the residents of Great Falls and all others who have given “the last full measure of devotion” to their country.
On Monday, May 26, at 11 a.m., crowds gathered at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial to observe Memorial Day. Unlike most other observances that day, organizers also honored local residents who died during the 9/11 attacks. Keynote speaker Robert (Bob) Wallace provided his interpretation of why, on Memorial Day, it is also relevant to honor and remember civilians who died in a terrorist attack against the United States.
Wallace served in Vietnam with a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit and later spent 33 years with the Central Intelligence Agency. He shared the origins of Memorial Day through a personal account. His great-grandfather survived the Civil War, and the engraving on his grave marker, “Company D, 34th Regiment, Iowa,” was enough to give him a sense of family connection to the war that originated today’s commemorations.
Decoration Day, a national holiday in the United States, honored the lives of those who died in the Civil War. The event began in Waterloo, New York, in 1866 and spread across 37 states, Wallace said.
Since World War I, it has expanded to include all those who lost their lives in the country's wars. Since 1968, Congress has established Memorial Day as a national holiday, and millions of Americans gather at monuments, memorials, and cemeteries to honor the lives lost in the country's wars.
Becoming a soldier is an intense personal experience, often a first step towards independent adulthood, Wallace said. The call to duty begins with the Oath of Office or Oath of Enlistment. It brings awareness of responsibility and the danger of being called into combat.
The Great Falls Freedom Memorial commemorates 25 former citizens of Great Falls, including six men and women who died in wars against international terrorists. Wallace said that the memorial also honors the sacrifices made by families, friends, and soldiers who fought for their country's freedom.
“Many wars begin with army attacking army, but others, like 9/11 and the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, were triggered by unprovoked attacks on civilians. Those who died, although having no intent of war, are as much casualties of war as the soldiers subsequently called to duty,” Wallace said. “As we hear the names read and the Freedom Bell ring in memory of these Great Falls citizens who perished in service to our country, let us recall each family’s sacrifice and pray that, with God’s help, a right and peaceful world may yet be known.”