Memorial Day Events. ( From the 5-25-County Press)

[William Gavette]

Memorial Day

Parade, ceremonies to honor those who gave all

BY PHIL FOLEY

810-452-2616 • [e-mail]

LAPEER COUNTY — For many people Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer. It’s a time to put the boat in the water, fire up the grill and have fun with the family.

There are those, however, who know what it really means. Originally established as Decoration Day, a day to decorate the graves of Civil War dead, it has evolved into Memorial Day, a day to remember all who’ve fallen in the service of their country.

Almont

In Almont, members of American Legion Post 479 will gather at Burley Park at the corner of West St. Clair and Branch streets at 11 a.m. Monday. Post member Dick Bowman said American Legion auxiliary members will make a couple of speeches and lay a wreath at the town’s veteran’s memorial, David Owens will sing patriotic songs and Post Commander Larry Milliken, a Vietnam War Army veteran, will say a few words.

Following the ceremonies at Burley Park, Legionnaires will invite family and friends back to the Post at 117 School Street for an open house and a free hot dog lunch.

Dryden

The Dryden Veterans Club, an unaffiliated veterans’ group, has been organizing Memorial Day observances in Dryden for more than half a century.

The club will kick things off Sunday with its monthly veterans’ breakfast, which is open to the public, from 8 a.m. to noon at the group’s clubhouse at 4223 South Mill St. The all-you-caneat breakfast will feature ham, pancakes, eggs, coffee, milk and juice at a cost of $8 per person.

Members of the community will join the Dryden Veterans Club to lead a parade from the parking lot at Dryden Elementary School at 10 a.m. Monday morning. The parade will make its way south on North Mill Road to Main Street, where it will swing east to the Veteran’s Memorial, next to the village offices, for a brief ceremony. From there, the parade will continue on to the Mount Pleasant Cemetery for a rifle salute to honor their fallen comrades. After the parade veterans will hand out free ice cream to area children at the Dryden Township Fire Hall in the village.

Imlay City

In Imlay City, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2492 will kick things off at 7:30 a.m. Monday with a breakfast for parade participants and veterans at their clubhouse on Fairgrounds Road.

Jerry Striker, adjutant at American Legion Post 135 and a Vietnam War veteran, said this year they will honor as many as four World War II veterans at ceremonies in front of the Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library.

At 9:30 a.m. veterans and other marchers will gather on West Fourth Street at North Almont Avenue in front of the library. From there they will march east to Main Street, turn south to East Third Street and then west to Almont Avenue, before ending up back at the library for a brief ceremony at the Veterans Memorial.

After the parade, there will be brief ceremonies at the Imlay Township Cemetery on Fairgrounds Road and at the Catholic Cemetery on South Blacks Corners Road. A light lunch will follow at the American Legion Post at 212 East Third Street.

Lapeer

In Lapeer, area veterans will gather at American Legion Post No. 16, 1701 W Genesee St., for trips to several area cemeteries. The Post’s firing squad, chaplain and color guard, along with two high school buglers will be at Mount Loretta Cemetery at 8:15 a.m. and they head one to Dawn Memorial, Mt. Hope and Stiles cemeteries.

At 10:45 a.m. they will honor Naval services with a wreath laying at the Flint River (east of Saginaw Street) on Nepessing Street, before starting the Memorial Day parade at 11 a.m. Marchers will head west down Nepessing Street to the Veterans Memorial across the street from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, where there will be ceremonies and speeches.

Line up for the parade, which is open to everyone except political parties and candidates, begins at 10 a.m.

This year, Joe Cain, a veteran from Almont, said Lapeer’s Vietnam War Memorial will be rededicated and two names will be added — one a Clifford man who was killed in Vietnam in 1967 and the other, a local vet who died a few weeks ago after being paralyzed from the neck down in combat 50 years ago.

North Branch

In North Branch, members of American Legion Post 457 to Memorial Day in two parts. First they’ll head up to Clifford to do a brief ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial next to the IOOF Hall.

North Branch’s Memorial Day parade will start at 11 a.m. at the corner of Huron and Brush streets. The parade will head down Huron Street to the Veterans’ Memorial at the Corner of Huron and Brush streets.

Otter Lake

Faced with a shrinking membership VFW Post 2409 members in Otter Lake are shrink-ing their parade this year. Past Post Commander Jerry Smith said members will gather as in years past in front of the Otter Lake Fire Dept. at 6373 Detroit St. at 10 a.m. Monday and march to the Veterans Memorial at the south end of Otter Lake for a brief ceremony. However, this year they won’t be continuing on to the cemetery.

The veterans will feed the LakeVille High School band a hot dog lunch before the band heads off to a second parade in Otisville.