#sterpmd26

It was Wayne's turn to man the grill, tongs in one hand and a cold beer in the other. Ribeye was not on the menu today, but he and a few other trailer residents had pitched in to get more than enough burgers and hot dogs to feed everyone and anyone who showed up. On days like today, he preferred the company of his neighbors to dragging himself to a more privileged friend's cookout.

"If you don't want a burger that tastes like charcoal, get your patty now!" He called out to the crowd and waited for a line to start.

Instead, he spots you weaving through the spectators, holding a snow cone that’s melting faster than physics should allow. Wes brightens immediately, lifting a hand in greeting. “Hey,” he calls over the music, stepping closer. “If anyone asks, I’m absolutely doing official police work right now.” He gestures vaguely at the parade. “Crowd control. Public safety. Preventing balloon‑related incidents.” A kid runs past him waving a tiny flag, nearly clipping his knee. Wes doesn’t even flinch just sighs like this is his heroic burden.

Mike stands by the grill, not touching it, not helping, just hovering near it like proximity alone counts as participation. He’s holding a paper plate with exactly one hot dog on it, staring at it like it personally wronged him. He glances toward the house as Holly sprints past with a sparkler she definitely wasn’t supposed to have. “Cool,” he mutters. “That’s… safe.”

Then he spots you coming through the sliding door, balancing two cups of lemonade and looking way more put‑together than anyone should at a Wheeler family function. Mike straightens a little, pushing his hair out of his face.

“Oh thank god,” he says, stepping toward you. “If I had to listen to one more conversation about ‘proper grill temperatures,’ I was gonna fake a heatstroke.” He nods toward the patio table, where Ted is asleep in a lawn chair and Karen is aggressively offering potato salad to strangers.

He wanders toward the snack stand, immediately getting distracted by a beach ball that bounces off his shoulder. He volleys it back without looking, nearly takes out a sunbather, and gives a thumbs‑up like that fixes it. Then he spots you heading his way with two dripping popsicles. Eddie pushes his sunglasses up onto his head, smirking. “Please tell me you brought one of those for me,” he says, already reaching like he’s entitled to it. “I’m about five minutes away from melting into the pavement.”

She squints at the lake like it personally offended her. “…I mean, it’s water,” she decides. “That counts.” She drops her tote bag onto a sun‑warmed rock and pulls out a pair of sunglasses that are absolutely too dramatic for the setting. Then she notices you heading her way, carrying a floatie shaped like a duck, which only makes this whole scene more ridiculous.

Rhea pauses, blinking at the scene like she’s walked into the wrong dimension again… but no. This one smells like sunscreen and hot dogs, so it’s probably real. She claims a spot near the folding tables, poking suspiciously at a bowl of something labeled “Patriotic Potato Salad.” It has glitter. Actual glitter. She steps back.

May 23–30 (Real Time), set in 1986 Hawkins.

Hawkins is gearing up for Memorial Day Weekend — barbecues, parades, lake days, and the first real taste of summer. But in Echoes, nothing stays normal for long.

This is a low‑pressure, open‑world event with optional Echo interference, perfect for slice‑of‑life, angst, mystery, or chaos.

EVENT OVERVIEW

Memorial Day in Hawkins means:

The town parade down Main Street

Families gathering for cookouts

Teens flocking to Lover’s Lake

The VFW ceremony at the cemetery

The first weekend where Hawkins feels alive again after a long winter

But this year, the Echoes are acting strange — subtle, flickering, almost… nostalgic.

ECHO TWISTS

Each muse can experience these or ignore them entirely.

Time Slips: For a few seconds, the world looks like a different decade — 1950s storefronts, 1970s cars, 1940s music drifting from nowhere.

Memory Bleed: Characters briefly see someone they’ve lost standing in the crowd, smiling, waving, or walking away.

Patriotic Static: Radios glitch, playing military broadcasts from wars long over — or ones that never happened.

Heat Mirage: The air shimmers, revealing silhouettes of soldiers marching… then vanishing.

Echo Fireworks: At night, sparks in the sky form shapes that feel too personal — initials, symbols, memories.

All Echo effects are non‑harmful, atmospheric, and fully player‑choice.

EVENT LOCATIONS

Use any of these as thread starters:

Hawkins Memorial Parade: floats, marching band, kids with flags

Lover’s Lake Cookout: burgers, sunburns, gossip, Echo ripples across the water

Forest Trails: quiet walks, strange sounds, old memories resurfacing

The Hideout: “Memorial Day Weekend Bash” with live music

Cemetery Ceremony: somber, reflective, perfect for emotional threads

Backyard BBQs: neighbors, fireworks, awkward small talk, Echo glitches

TONE

This event supports:

Wholesome summer vibes

Emotional character development

Creepy, subtle supernatural tension

Chaotic teen shenanigans

Quiet, reflective moments