Parades, services, baseball games, pool openings and backyard barbecues: Memorial Day weekend is here, and with it comes a forecast for warm, dry weather.
Puffy, white clouds form the backdrop for this lone horse spotted off River Road near Mt. Nebo.
AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Wimer said high pressure systems moving into the region should produce sunny and dry conditions until at least Monday evening, when there is a slight chance a cold front from the Northwest will bring showers.
Wimer estimates daytime highs Saturday and Sunday will be in the low 70s, just shy of the 74-degree average high for this time of year.
Monday's high should be between 78 and 83 degrees, Wimer said.
And the humidity should be relatively low.
"I think most people will find it really pleasant," Wimer said. "Most people are going to enjoy the change to sunny, warmer conditions."
The more seasonal weather comes after a week of rain showers dropping 2.01 inches of rain. That's nearly twice the normal amount, Wimer said.If the forecast is correct, parades should be held as scheduled in Columbia, Elizabethtown, Lititz, Marietta, Mount Joy, Rothsville, Strasburg and Wrightsville.
Memorial Day services and ceremonies will be held in Ephrata, Lancaster, Landisville, Millersville, New Holland, Reamstown and Reinholds.
John Brenner, adjutant for the Pennsylvania Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said he hopes the services remind people to "just be proud that they live in the free nation that we live in."
"Even though we make mistakes," he said, "it's still the best nation. We have more people trying to come in than trying to go out."
Brenner said this freedom wouldn't be possible without the people who fought and died in wars.
He suggested that people take their children and grandchildren to Memorial Day services so they learn to appreciate them at a young age.
But, for many, Memorial Day is more than just a day to commemorate the soldiers who died in battle. It also marks the beginning of summer.
"It plays an important role in that it really is what folks traditionally view as the kickoff of summer," said Joel Cliff, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau. "There is still this traditional, almost celebratory sense that comes with the weekend."
New to this year's list of Memorial Day weekend activities, Cliff said, is the Great Pennsylvania FlavorFest.
Taking place at the Mount Hope Estate and Winery, on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, the festival will feature six daily cooking demonstrations Saturday and Sunday, as well as lessons on how to pair wine and beer with the appropriate foods.
Tickets for the event, which runs 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, cost $15.95. More information is available at
www.padutchcountry.com.
In addition, the Lancaster Barnstormers will hold a Start of Summer Weekend.
Tonight's and Sunday's games feature fireworks honoring those who died in battle.
Also, many area pools, including those in Lancaster, Ephrata, and Elizabethtown, will open this weekend.
Staff writer Liz Navratil can be reached at lnavratil@LNPnews.com or 481-6014.
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