WEEDSPORT - Patriotism filled the streets of Weedsport as hundreds of spectators gathered to watch the annual Memorial Day parade.

The air held a warm breeze Monday as area residents lined the streets applauding the various parade floats, antique cars, marching bands and veterans wearing full dress uniforms spanning different eras of the military.

“This is one of the biggest events of the year,” said Paul Jacobs, while watching the parade with his wife, Jamie Jacobs, and daughters, Emily, 2, and Ella, 6. “The girls have really been looking forward to it. It is something that we all look forward to.”

Yet, the parade isn't the only thing that the Jacobs family looks forward to.

The family planned to visit a couple of local cemeteries where deceased relatives are buried.

“We will put flags on our family gravestones,” Paul said. “My wife has relatives in one cemetery and mine are located in another. We will visit them both before the day is through.”

“Memorial Day is an important day to remember the people who served our country and helped to shape it into what it is today,” Jamie said. “This is something that we forget to stop and think about on a daily basis. Although we all should try better to remember this every day.”

Immediately following the parade, many of the spectators followed the excitement to attend a special remembrance ceremony at the Clark-Heck American Legion Post.

“It is because of these brave men and women that we can be here to celebrate today,” said George Masters. “I would not miss this for anything. It is the least that I could do.”

Masters, who attended the morning's events with his wife, Bertha, and grandchildren Brian, 9, Georgia, 7, and Amanda, 4, said that he served as a Marine during the Korean War.

The Masters family said that they had plans to also visit the cemetery where relatives are located to place flags and flowers after they attended the Memorial Day festivities in Auburn.

“Today is more than a celebration,” George said.

“It is who we are and where we came from. We would do good to remember that more often than once a year.”

In addition to the morning's events, a watchfire ceremony was to be held at the Weedsport High School Auditorium later in the evening.

The watchfire ceremony is more than a time to remember the fallen and missing veterans, but also a way to properly dispose of ragged and misused American flags.