Cherin Mehs, David Hall and Cindy Hall have made a mark on Gerry every Memorial Day weekend.

For two decades, Mehs and the Halls have helped make the Gerry Memorial Day Parade and cemetery service a community tradition.

But that tradition is on the verge of ending, along with so many other community traditions. The Gerry Memorial Day Parade won’t take place again this year, though the annual remembrance service at the Gerry Cemetery will take place.

COVID-19 isn’t the culprit, though.

It’s the lack of younger people stepping in to replace an older generation to not only march in the parade, but to plan and organize the parade.

“Doing everything is too much — it’s a lot of work,” Mehs said of the months of planning it takes to organize the festivities.

Mehs and David Hall went before the Gerry Town Board in March to discuss the future of the Memorial Day parade. Part of the discussion included handing the reins to another organization to ensure the parade, and eventually the cemetery service, will continue in Gerry.

“We will help and work with anyone that takes it over,” Mehs said. “We will guide them and we will be involved as long as we can.”

Gerry is just the latest in a long line of long-held events that are struggling. Jamestown’s annual Holiday Parade nearly didn’t happen because there was no one to organize it. Many of our area’s community events have too few volunteers.

We say thank you to Cherin Mehs, David Hall, Cindy Hall and all those who have given their time over the years to make holidays special and provide the events that many think just magically happen each and every year. A grateful community thanks you for your time and service.

At the same time, we wonder what happens to these community events as the generation that gave us people like Cherin Mehs and the Halls steps away from these events. Is anyone going to step up to keep these traditions alive?