According to historians, the first Memorial Day was marked by three women who brought flowers to the gravesite of fallen servicemen in Boalsburg in 1864.

The tight-knit village of 3,500 was bustling with activity over the weekend, including civil war era re-enactors, carnival rides and pie tasting.

Due to approaching thunderstorms, the ceremonial walk to the cemetery was rerouted into St. John’s United Church of Christ, where visitors honored fallen servicemen and women inside.

Amber Keene told WJAC-TV that she’s grateful for the annual Boalsburg tradition.

“I was one of the wives waiting at home. This means more because I know that my husband was there,” said Keene. “It’s just like almost everything else in the world today, it’s so busy that we don’t slow down our motors enough to really consider what it means.”