BATON ROUGE - It is the weekend before Memorial Day, and in preparation for the day there are a series of meaningful events. From ceremonies to commemorations, residents all over Louisiana look to honor friends, family, and soldiers who have served our country.

On Saturday, participants carrying a total of 11,000 flags in honor of fallen soldiers marched from the LSU War Memorial to the USS Kid and finished off at the State Capitol where the flags were planted.

"These flags are important because they are actually a living piece of Louisiana history," Elena Branzaru with the Baton Rouge Mayors Advisory Council for Veterans Affairs said.

"It's important for us to be able to monumentally carry them to the capitol, so that they can all be displayed for all to see, so other people can understand what Memorial Day is."

Tim Flair and his family traveled to Baton Rouge to pay respect to their son Ashton, a fallen soldier. Tim said the day means the world to him and his daughter.

"It's all about remembering Ashton and all of our fallen," he said. "We're so grateful for the people who come out every Memorial Day."

His daughter Abigail shares similar sentiments on what this weekend means to her and what makes it important.

"Me and Ashton didn't always get along, we fought a lot. But by the time he went off to the Army we wrote all the time and whenever our brothers and sisters, or relatives go off into the military it makes us realize how much they mean to us and the ultimate sacrifice that they give."

Residents looking to get involved in Memorial Day events through the weekend can find a list of things to do here.