Memorial Day weekend is here, the ferries are full, the shops open, and the streets crowded as everyone officially says goodbye to the off-season. Events abound all weekend, from the official to the casual, with many that pay homage to our fallen service men and women.

On Friday, children from the Chilmark School start things off with a 9 a.m. trip to Menemsha Harbor to bring flowers to the sea. Children from the Edgartown school step off with their flowers at 12:30 p.m. and head to Memorial Wharf, while children from the Tisbury School make their way at 12:30 p.m. to the harbor at Owen Park. The Oak Bluffs School greets veterans at 8:30 a.m. at the school.

A March for Heroes begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 26 with a 26.2-mile route raising funds for veterans’ organizations. Meet at the VFW Post, 14 Towanticut avenue, Oak Bluffs.

The Memorial Day parade begins at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 28 at the American Legion Hall, 47 Martin Road in Vineyard Haven with the route ending at the Oak Grove Cemetery. Flags go up at the Avenue of Flags at the Oak Grove Cemetery at 7:30 a.m., and will come down at 3 p.m.

After the parade it’s off to the annual Tisbury Town Picnic, held from noon to 4 p.m. at the Tashmoo Spring Building in Vineyard Haven. Ice cream is provided by the town of Tisbury, with music by the Flying Elbows. Picnics are welcome, but not dogs.