New Yorkers mark Memorial Day with gatherings, shows

A girl holds a flag at a memorial service after Brooklyn's 154th Memorial Day parade and motorcade in the Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, on May 31, 2021. New Yorkers on Monday commemorated U.S. Memorial Day holiday with gatherings and shows to honor military service members and celebrate the coming of summer. (Xinhua/Michael Nagle)

NEW YORK, May 31 (Xinhua) -- New Yorkers on Monday commemorated U.S. Memorial Day holiday with gatherings and shows to honor military service members and celebrate the coming of summer.

New York State is set to illuminate iconic landmarks including One World Trade Center, Niagara Falls, Grand Central Terminal and the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex in red, white and blue in commemoration of the day on Monday evening.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the establishment of a 162-acre state veterans cemetery in Seneca County of the state.

Formerly used as both naval training station and air force base, Sampson Veterans Memorial Cemetery would provide over 80,000 grave sites with the initial 15 acres of the site already being developed.

Postponed over the weekend due to bad weather, Bethpage Air Show was staged Monday at Jones Beach on Long Island featuring military planes flying in formations and parachuting along with colorful smokes.

"We're coming out of the pandemic, and New York has gone through more than any other state," said George Gorman, regional director of New York State Parks.

A number of people in Brooklyn staged the 154th Memorial Day Parade and a veteran motorcade.

Afterwards, around 200 army representatives, veterans and community members participated in a memorial service in John Paul Park in Brooklyn.

Vaccination on a large scale and the plunge of positivity rate in COVID-19 tests made it possible for people to come out to enjoy the holiday in New York and other parts of the United States.