Marching and road racing are part and parcel of Memorial Day events these days, and that’s certainly the case in Freeport and Durham on Monday, May 30.

Parades in both towns will begin in mid-morning, and races in Freeport and Durham also are in sync, time-wise, starting at 8.

The Freeport parade forms at Freeport High School, and commences at 9:30 a.m. Police and fire department vehicles, along with the American Legion and the Legion Auxiliary, will give the Memorial Day parade its typical patriotic flair. There will be a salute at the monument near the Town Hall, and veterans will lay a wreath near the monument.

The parade will resume up Main Street, turning down School Street, and onto Park Street, to form around the Civil War Monument at the park, where a ceremony will begin at approximately 10. School bands and singers, as well as the Greater Freeport Community Chorus, will provide the music that is so essential to a Memorial Day event. Town Council Chairwoman Melanie Sachs and Sara Gideon, assistant majority leader of the House of Representatives from Freeport, will be among the speakers. An American Legion member, among others, also will address the gathering.

JoAnn Miller, Carmen Footer and Elaine Greene – the Freeport Flag Ladies – have Memorial Day plans for Bangor. Greene, hospitalized last month for a bout with colitis, appears recovered and ready to participate in an event with the Bangor Troop Greeters and an ROTC group.

“We always stay in Freeport for the Fourth of July,” Greene said.

Freeport’s sixth annual Main Street Mile, meanwhile, sponsored by the Nike Factory Store, can be as fast or as slow as participants want. The 1-mile race is designed for the whole family.

Prizes will be awarded to the first and second male and female finishers in age groups including 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 and above. Trophies will be awarded to the first and second male and female finishers in the following age groups: 6 and under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, and 16-18.

Registration is $10 or $8 per immediate family members of four or more. Registration and information is available at www.runinarace.com or at the Nike Factory Store in Freeport Village Station, May 28 and 29. Race day registration is from 7-7:30 at the Nike Store and is $15 per individual or $10 per immediate family members of four or more. T-shirts are guaranteed for first 100 registrants.

Proceeds from the race benefit the Freeport Running Boosters, a nonprofit group that supports the Freeport High School track and cross-country teams.

In Durham, check-in for the 5K and the fun run is bright and early at 7, at AMVETS Post 13, 1049 Royalsborough Road. Registration for the 5K is $20 and $15 for students, and $10 for the fun run. Registration forms must be sent or emailed to the Town Office or turned in the day of the effort. Proceeds from the races go to the AMVETS Post.

The parade begins at Durham’s center of gravity, the Durham Get & Go, at 10. For the second straight year, Elwin Beal will ride in an antique convertible as the grand marshal. Beal is a founding member of AMVETS Post 13, in 1964.

“Mr. Beal’s still active in our post,” said Chad Burke, post commander. “He’s all over the place, raking and doing what needs to be done.”

For the first time, AMVETS Post 13 will enter a float in the Durham parade. A pickup truck will haul the trailer, which will be decorated with bunting, and AMVETS members will wear new jackets. Burke will ride in a big Air National Guard truck.

“I’m really, really psyched that the AMVETS is going to be involved in the parade again,” Burke said. “By being in the parade this year, that shows that we’re back.”

The AMVETS Hall was restored last year, following a burst pipes that flooded the building and caused significant damage.

The parade will make a stop for the National Anthem at Veterans Park at the intersection of routes 136 and 9, and then another stop at Sawyer Cemetery. The parade will end at Durham Community School..

For more information, call Joe Howe, parade coordinator, at 353-9110.

The Freeport Memorial Day parade will make a stop at the 9/11 memorial, in front of the Town Hall.

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