Category Archives: May 30th Commemoration
17th Annual Memorial Day Veteran’s Biker Rally
MONDAY MAY 25th, 2026
17th Annual Memorial Day Veteran’s Biker Rally
Ride with us through the beautiful Finger Lakes Region this Memorial Day and show your support for those who served to protect our freedoms! Return to the Waterloo VFW for a Chicken BBQ Lunch!
Sponsored by:
Waterloo Container and Sessler Companies
Lead by the Patriot Guard Riders of NY
and
The Waterloo Legion Riders
2026 Bike Rally Registration Form
One of the most popular features of Celebrate Commemorate is our annual Biker Rally. The rally will be held on Monday, May 25, and is expected to attract 300 riders. Entry forms are available here, or participants may register at the VFW, 29 West Elisha St., from 8 to 10 a.m. the morning of the ride. Led by riders of the New York Patriot Guard and Waterloo Legion Riders, bikers from throughout the area are invited to join the “Ride for Respect” to pay tribute to our troops. Riders will leave the VFW at 10 a.m. under the direction of ride captain Nigel Heaton of the New York Patriot Guard Riders. They will return to the VFW by about 2 p.m. where a buffet luncheon will be available.
Friends and families are welcome to attend. A merchandise table will offer souvenirs for sale.
ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT New York Patriot Guard Riders, Waterloo VFW, Waterloo American Legion and Celebrate Commemorate Event
2026 Henry C. Welles Award
The Henry C. Welles award honors those individuals who
“embody the character and commitment of the founder of Memorial Day toward the betterment of our community.”
YouTube video Playlist of Henry Welles Award Winners 2009-2026
The Waterloo Library and Historical Society has announced that James “Jim” Patsos Jr. has been named the 2026 recipient of the Henry C. Welles Award, an honor presented annually to individuals who embody the spirit and community commitment of Memorial Day founder Henry C. Welles. The award ceremony is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on May 22 in Fatzinger Hall at the Waterloo Library & Historical Society and will serve as the kickoff to Waterloo’s Celebrate Commemorate Memorial Day weekend events.
For decades, Jim Patsos has quietly shown up wherever Waterloo needed help — from youth sports and community service projects to church leadership and local agriculture. Later this month, the Waterloo Library & Historical Society will formally recognize that lifetime of service.
Patsos moved to Waterloo at age 18 and attended Cornell University before returning to the area to operate his family’s Beltavern Farm in Junius. Alongside his late wife, Deb, he spent decades raising five children while remaining deeply involved in community organizations and volunteer efforts throughout Seneca County.
According to the Waterloo Library & Historical Society, Patsos served as a 4-H leader for 35 years, spent eight years as a Waterloo Little League board member and umpire, and held leadership roles with the Seneca County Farm Bureau. He also served as a church elder for the Church of Latter Day Saints and has volunteered for decades with the Seneca County Bereavement Support Group, the Community Christmas Project, and Trevor’s Backpack Project.
Even after retiring from farming, Patsos has remained active in the community, frequently helping transport Amish residents for work and other activities.
In a statement released by the organization, Patsos said he was “honored, happy and humbled” to receive the recognition and dedicated the award to his late wife.
Waterloo Library & Historical Society Board President Coreen Lowry described Patsos as someone who consistently serves the community without seeking recognition.
“It is a privilege to be able to recognize someone so deserving yet as humble as Jim,” Lowry said in the release.
WATERLOO PURPLE HEART WALL OF HONOR
The Village of Waterloo has led a multi-year initiative to honor the brave service members nominated by family and friends who have received the distinguished Purple Heart Award with a new local Wall of Honor that recognizes this distinctive military honor.
Applications are continuously collected.”
Click for donation information
Schedules – Applications – Maps available
If you are looking for a Schedule of Events, Event Map or 5k Race Map, or need an Application for an event or wish to be a vendor, please visit this link.
Schedules, Applications, Maps, etc.
Memorial Day in Waterloo 2021
Waterloo New York, the officially recognized Birthplace of Memorial Day. The 155th consecutive Memorial Day Commemoration was held in Waterloo on May 30, 2021. The commemoration started at St. Mary’s Cemetery with a fly over by 5 vintage planes, organized by Lauren Dates. Prayer was offered by Rev. Roy Kiggins from St. Francis & St. Clare Parish, followed by gun salute & taps. Then on to Maple Grove Cemetery, where prayer was offered by Rev. Jeff Haugaard from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, wreaths were laid followed by gun salute and taps. On to Elisha Williams Cemetery where prayer was offered by Chuck Nightingale, Waterloo American Legion Chaplin, followed by gun salute and taps. The ceremonies concluded at Lafayette Park with the laying of wreaths, prayer by Chuck Nightingale, VFW commander, gun salute and taps. Thank you to Assemblyman Jeff Gallahan and Senator Pam Helming for their presentations. https://youtu.be/QDlT72b3a3U
155th consecutive Memorial Day Commemoration in Waterloo
On Sunday morning May 30th, veterans will be assembling at St. Mary’s Cemetery at 11:00 a.m.
There will be a veteran sponsored flyover followed by prayer, wreath laying and gun salute. Similar ceremonies will be then held at Maple Grove & Elisha Williams cemeteries on Stark Street and then at LaFayette Park to observe Memorial Day and salute our fallen soldiers for the 155th year in The Birthplace of Memorial Day! These services will be filmed and made available for viewing here on the Village Website.
Memorial Day May 30, 2015 Cemetery ceremonies recap
This is a short recap of the 2015 ceremonies.