Michigan Flight Museum Honors Memorial Day with Flyovers and ‘Tribute Rosies’ Appearances

This Memorial Day weekend, the Michigan Flight Museum will commemorate fallen service members through a series of ceremonial flyovers and parade appearances across southeastern Michigan and Illinois. The museum’s historic aircraft and signature “Tribute Rosies” Drill Team will be featured in several local events, offering a powerful reminder of the wartime sacrifices made both in combat and on the home front.

Kicking off the weekend’s commemorations is the 100th Anniversary River Forest-Oak Park Memorial Day Parade in Illinois. Stepping off at 9:30 a.m. at Ashland Avenue and Augusta Street, the parade will include the museum’s Tribute Rosies Drill Team—marching in honor of the millions of American women who worked in wartime industries during World War II, particularly those who built aircraft essential to the Allied victory.

In Michigan, the Dearborn Memorial Day Parade—the state’s oldest—will begin Monday, May 26, at 10 a.m. from the intersection of Schaefer Road and Michigan Avenue. Attendees will be treated to a dramatic opening as the roar of vintage aircraft fills the sky. The museum’s North American B-25 bomber, Rosie’s Reply, and Douglas C-47 troop transport, will perform flyovers along the parade route.

Later that morning, the museum’s aircraft and marching teams will participate in the Milford Memorial Day Parade, which begins at 11 a.m. at the Milford American Legion Post and proceeds south to Central Park. The Tribute Rosies Drill Team will be joined by a Rosie Walk and Wave Brigade, further highlighting the contributions of women on the World War II home front.

At 11:25 a.m., the skies above Hartland will echo with the engines of Rosie’s Reply and Hairless Joe as they conduct a flyover for the Hartland Memorial Day Parade. The procession will begin at Hartland Middle School and conclude at Village Elementary School. With every appearance, the Michigan Flight Museum seeks to honor both the fallen and the often-overlooked contributions of the Rosie the Riveter generation—paying tribute not just with aircraft, but with living history in motion. For more information, visit www.miflightmuseum.org