Maywood Bataan Festival on September 9th, 2018

MAYWOOD, IL – As it has for more than three quarters of a century, Maywood will mark Maywood Bataan Day on September 9th, 2018, at Maywood Veterans Memorial Park in Maywood, Il.

It was 76 years ago this fall that the citizens of Maywood were feeling helpless in the face of terrible events on the other side of the earth, that had endangered the lives of nearly 100 of their finest young men – in something we know today as the Death March of Bataan. But they were not passive; they decided to do something about it. They quickly arranged an astounding show of support. On September 11, 1942, an estimated 30,000 people lined 5th Avenue in this suburb to watch hundreds of children march in support of the war effort. Later, a larger parade would step off – this second parade lasted 3 hours and involved literally thousands of participants. Bands, floats, celebrities, and politicians all marched to show their support for Maywood – and for all the small towns, that had placed their loved ones in harm’s way to fight for freedom.

From that day to this, Maywood has continued to mark the second Sunday in September with a Memorial Service. Due to changing economics and the loss of many of the veterans of that great war, the parades were discontinued years ago. But the Memorial Service continues, one of a dwindling number of WWII memorials still being observed and certainly the last one to be continuously marked each year.

A concert of military and other appropriate music will precede the service at 2:30 pm. The music will be provided by the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Band Great Lakes under the direction of Chief Musician Brandon Barbee.

Master of Ceremonies will be MBDO Vice President, Edwin H. Walker IV. Colors will be presented by several area American Legion, VFW, and ROTC Color Guards. In past years color guard units from Maywood, Melrose Park, Berwyn, Hillside, Des Plaines, Chicago, Palatine, Elmhurst, Frankfort, Mokena, River Forest, LaGrange, Northlake, and many other Chicago and suburban cities have participated. A Rifle Squad Gun Salute will be provided by the American Legion Post #974 in Franklin Park, Illinois.

Keynote Speaker will be The Honourable Gina A. Jamoralin, Philippine Consul General in Chicago. The MBDO and the Village of Maywood are honored to welcome Consul General Jamoralin to Chicago and to this important event.

Additional special guests scheduled to attend include Maywood Mayor Edwenna Perkins, members of the Village of Maywood Village Board of Trustees and other invited local community leaders. There will also be a tribute to the late Northica Hillery-Stone, Founder, Operation Uplift and West Town Museum of Cultural History, by Laurietta “Jeri” Stenson, President, Maywood Historical Society and Curator, West Town Museum of Cultural History.

Col. Richard A. McMahon, Jr., President of the Maywood Bataan Day Organization, extends an invitation to the entire community, saying, “Maywood Bataan Day today is one of the largest and longest continuous World War II memorials still being marked annually. Attendance continues to grow, and we are honored to be able to meet our commitment to the men and women who serve our country when we promised in 1942, that we would ‘Remember Bataan’.”

The Maywood Bataan Day Organization is dedicated to preserving the memory of Bataan Day and perpetuating the observance of Maywood’s Bataan Day on the second Sunday of September. Our modern mission includes supporting veterans of all wars and providing educational resources through our archives and our website (http://mbdo.org). The organization is a non-profit 501(c)(19) organization, that is supported by donations of time and money from the community, as well as relatives and friends of those who have served their country. # # #