Memorial Day dawned cool and gray on Monday—and according to Col. Chris Kidd, that might've been the right weather.

"Does it seem right to celebrate Memorial Day?" he asked the audience inside Center School's gymnasium during Mattapoisett's holiday ceremony. "It's a day of remembering those who aren't here. How do you honor people that gave their lives for us?"

"Nobody wants war," he continued. "But maybe we've learned that there are things worse than war, things that people are willing to risk their lives to prevent. Setting aside one day to reflect on those people—it seems right."

In Mattapoisett, the Memorial Day Parade began at Center School, and slowly made its way down to the Town Wharf, where a bouquet was tossed into the cold Atlantic waters in celebration of those who lost their lives at sea.

Meanwhile in Marion, the guest speaker was Lt. Col. Jeremy Beaven, a decorated (he earned the Bronze Star) member of the United States Marine Corps.

Both parades featured elementary school marching bands, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, emergency responders and brief statements from the two towns' selectmen.

In Marion, parade participants marched a half-mile along Front Street, from the town's Music Hall to Old Landing, where tribute was paid to Marion's veterans at the Veteran Memorial.