A long list of Memorial Day observances will be held in around Highland County over the weekend beginning Saturday and continuing though Monday afternoon.
Activities will begin with a 1 p.m. event Saturday in Highland featuring the Fairfield High School Band and American Legion Post 568.
Ceremonies in Lynchburg will commence at noon Sunday with parade lineup at the Old School Park. There will be a short parade to a cemetery with a guest speaker featured there.
In Hillsboro, the annual Memorial Day Service will begin a half hour later than normal at 10:30 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial on the Highland County Courthouse lawn conducted by Hillsboro VFW Post 9094. The guest speaker will be retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Ronald Sampson, a Hillsboro High School graduate who flew combat missions in Vietnam and retired in 1997 after 30 years on active duty.
Following the service uptown that will include the Hillsboro High School Marching Band and other patriotic music, the Highland County Veterans Honor Guard will visit St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery and the Hillsboro Cemetery to lay a wreath a fire a salute, but VFW Commander Rick Wilkin said there will no procession to those locations. However, Wilkin said anyone wanting to observe those ceremonies is welcome.
Wilkin said the firing of a rifle salute is a symbolic difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
“We are doing a salute at the cemeteries for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and not only them, but those who have served and are now gone,” Wilkin said. “Memorial Day is to honor all veterans who have died, and Veterans Day is for honoring all veterans. That’s why we fire rifles on Memorial Day and not on Veterans Day.”
Following the service uptown, food will be provided at the VFW Post for anyone that wants to stop by.
In Greenfield, G3 (Grow Greater Greenfield) is organizing ceremonies sponsored by the Concerned Veterans of Greenfield that will begin at 10 a.m. Monday.
“The parade will start at the McClain High School colonnades on Fifth Street and continue to the Greenfield Cemetery with a ceremony by the Concerned Veterans,” G3 member Shari Royse-Bellar said. “A dedication of the military banner project will be announced, along with other tributes. G3 would like to invite everyone that sponsored downtown military banners to display their yard banners in their yards that day, and that everyone attending please drive through our beautiful downtown and acknowledge our soldiers displayed.”
• Pricetown – The annual Memorial Day activities at the Pricetown Church of Christ will be held Monday. The march to the cemetery will begin at 10 a.m. Marty Bailey will be the honored veteran at the cemetery service. The main program will begin at 11 a.m. and will feature traditional Memorial Day music, the presentation of honor quilts to veterans, and the keynote speech by Greenfield resident Otis Wagner. A community fellowship dinner will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. It is sponsored by the Pricetown Church of Christ and is free to everyone.
• Buford – A parade will start at 10:45 a.m. at the former Buford school and will proceed to the Buford Cemetery for an 11 a.m. ceremony where Robert D. Hottle will be the speaker.
• Sinking Spring – A Memorial Day celebration will be held at the Sinking Spring Community Church on Monday. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the church fellowship hall. Veterans eat free. The Memorial Day service will begin at 2 p.m. at the church.
• Bainbridge – Village council member William Hubbard said the village and American Legion Post 14 will present an Olde Time Memorial Day Parade at 1:45 p.m. Monday. Parade lineup starts at 1:30 p.m. on the corner of Maple and Third streets. There will be a ceremony in the Bainbridge Cemetery starting at 2 p.m.
• South Salem – Memorial Day services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday. The guest speaker will be Ken Kensinger. Parade lineup will be at 1:45 p.m. behind Buckskin Elementary School. The annual South Salem United Methodist Church Strawberry Social will be held following the parade. A freewill offering will be accepted.
Services are also supposed to take place Monday in Mowrystown, but details were not available.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or [email protected].
