Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff to summer in Northern Michigan. Each Up North community offers a variety of weekend celebrations, a great way to begin another summer season. Listed here are the 2011 event's; check back for the 2012 schedule.

Boyne City

Drag racing takes place at the Boyne City airport on Sunday, May 29, 12-6pm. Memorial Day services are at 8am, Memorial Park, Boyne Falls; 8:30am, Memorial Park, Walloon Lake; 9am, Evangeline Cemetery, Evangeline Township; 9:30am, Dyer Cemetery, Bay Township; 10am, Advent Cemetery, Eveline Township; 10:15am, Wilson Cemetery, Wilson Township; 10:30am, Maple Lawn Cemetery, Boyne City.

The Memorial Day parade begins at 11:30am on Lake Street and continues to the waterfront and ends at Veterans Memorial Park. A 12pm service will include music, bell ringing, gun salutes, and addresses. 231-459-4220.

Charlevoix

Services begin on Memorial Day at 9am, Brookside Cemetery, followed by a 10am parade ending at East Park. A service follows the parade and includes a firing party and taps. 231-675-4444.

East Jordan

Jordan Valley Glassworks will place 160 Niigima floats, each engraved with a name of a Northern Michigan military member who lost their life while in the service dating back to the 1860s, in the Jordan River.

Services take place on Memorial Day at 7:30am, Cavalry Cemetery; 8am, Pesek Cemetery; 8:15am, St John Nepomucen Cemetery; 8:35pm, Dunsmore Cemetery; 9:10am Sunset Hill Cemetery; 9:20am, Grandvue Medical Care Facility. A Veterans' breakfast begins at 9:30am at the American Legion.

The parade takes place at 10:30am followed by a 11am service with a gun salute, music, addresses, and wreath placement.

Harbor Springs

Memorial Day begins with a breakfast, 7-9am, at the American Legion. The parade begins at 10am and ends at Zorn Park for a service. A gun salute, speech, and music will be part of the service with another service immediately thereafter at Lakeview Cemetery.

Indian River

The Memorial Day Parade begins at 1pm on Straits Highway and stops at memorials along the way. After the parade, a reading of the names takes place at the VFW Post.

Mackinaw City

The Memorial Day parade is Saturday, May 28, 1pm, through downtown Mackinaw City. The parade includes the cast of the Fort Michilimackinac Pageant along with a variety of floats and clowns. The Scottville Clown Band performs at 11am and the Lone Ranger and his white horse will be in the Crossings parking lot following the parade.

On Memorial Day, a 10am service takes place at the marina lawn near the cannon followed by a 10:30am ceremony at Lakeview Cemetery. 231-436-5578.

Petoskey

Services on Memorial Day begin with an 8:45am ceremony at Greenwood Ceremony followed by a 9:am ceremonies at the World War II and Korean War monument off Mitchell Street (near the Marathon station) and a 9:15am ceremony at World War monument near city hall.

A parade begins at 10am along Mitchell Street and ends in Pennsylvania Park at the gazebo for a memorial service that includes speeches, wreath placement, music, a salute, and taps. A luncheon follows at the American Legion Hall.

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