POINT PLEASANT —To some, Memorial Day is more than an extra day off or an invitation to a cookout - to many it has and always will be a day to honor veterans who died for this country.

This Saturday, May 26, the AMVETS Mason County Post 2, will host its annual Memorial Day Parade in Point Pleasant. The parade starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday and will make its way down Main Street. Lineup is at 12:30 p.m. on Main Street right outside the Mason County Schools Central Office building. There is no charge to participate and everyone is welcome.

Immediately following the parade there will be a short memorial service at Medal of Honor Park. The AMVETS post is responsible for placing the crosses and flags in the park to honor those who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dennis Rayburn of AMVETS, said his organization has been putting on the parades since 2006. Rayburn explained sometimes there’s confusion about just what Memorial Day and Veterans Day mean - explaining Memorial Day is to honor the fallen, and Veterans Day is to honor those who survived.

Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.