Rockwall County to host Carry The Load Memorial Day event May 23

Remembrance in Rockwall County will take the form of a courthouse gathering, a National Anthem and a 2.5-mile walk on May 23, as Carry The Load brings Memorial May back to the county’s civic center.

The event is set for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Rockwall County Courthouse, 1111 E. Yellow Jacket Lane in Rockwall, and is designed to honor military members, veterans, first responders and their families. Rockwall County posted a civic alert about the gathering May 4, signaling county support for an observance that places service and sacrifice at the center of Memorial Day weekend.

The evening is built around a simple schedule. Participants will gather at 6 p.m., followed by a welcome and National Anthem at 6:30 p.m. Inspiring speakers are slated for 6:35 p.m., with veterans, first responders and family members sharing personal stories before the walking loop begins at 7 p.m. Organizers say the format is meant to create a reflective, unifying experience that invites residents to honor those who served through active participation rather than passive ceremony.

Carry The Load describes Memorial May as a month-long national tribute that connects Americans to the sacrifices of the nation’s military, veterans, first responders and their families. The nonprofit says its mission is to provide active ways to honor and remember those heroes, and it says thousands of people take part in Carry The Load events across the country each year. The Rockwall event page listed a community fundraising goal of $1,500, with $491.61 raised when the page was checked.

For Rockwall County, the courthouse setting gives the event local weight. A 2025 flyer showed a similar Carry The Load gathering at the same courthouse on May 24, 2025, suggesting the county has adopted the observance as an annual ritual. The broader Memorial May campaign has also drawn national backing, including a 2025 partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration and other nonprofits.

The Rockwall County event is free and open to the public, offering residents, veterans and first responder families a visible way to mark Memorial Day through shared remembrance at one of the county’s most familiar public spaces.