Memorial Day services scheduled
Memorial Day services are being held in communities throughout the Sauk Valley. All are Monday, except for the Amboy American Legion, which has two services on Sunday and two on Monday.
n Sterling and Rock Falls: At 9 a.m., the Association of Clubs will meet at the parking lot at the south end of the First Avenue bridge in Rock Falls. Club members will march onto the bridge and auxiliaries members will throw wreaths into the Rock River. A firing squad will give a gun salute, and taps will be played.
At 10:30 a.m., services will begin at Coloma Township Cemetery on Emmons Avenue in Rock Falls. At 11 a.m., there will be services at the Grandon Civic Center in Sterling. In case of rain, the Rock Falls club members will return to the Rock Falls Legion, 712 Fourth Ave., while Sterling club members will return to the Sterling Coliseum, 212 Third Ave.
There also will be a bell-ringing ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday at Oak Knoll Cemetery, 18268 Pennington Road, Sterling. Cemetery staff will ring a bell after each veteran’s name is read. The public is invited, and American flags will be given away to be placed on graves.
The event will be canceled if it rains. For more information or to add a name to the list to be read, call 815-625-3827.
n Dixon: Services start at 9:30 a.m. at the north end of the Peoria Avenue
Bridge with a wreath-laying ceremony. A parade will then go south on Peoria to Dement Avenue, ending at Oakwood Cemetery, where there will be a program honoring all deceased area veterans.
U.S. Army veteran and former college librarian Duane Paulsen, 73, of Grand Detour, will be the guest speaker. Spc. Victor Garland, of Bravo Troop, 2nd Squadron, 106th Calvary, a Dixon-based National Guard unit, will read “General Logan’s Orders.” Taps will be played, and the Marine Corps League will provide a firing squad.
After the service, the Dixon VFW will have a memorial service at Chapel Hill Cemetery.
n Morrison: A parade starts at 10:30 a.m. at Madison and Main streets, heads down Main to Genesee Street, then north to Grove Hill Cemetery, where a memorial service will be held. The speaker will be Mark Yarbrough, who recently traveled to Washington, D.C., with his father on an Honor Flight to allow World II veterans to visit memorials in Washington.
n Oregon: Oregon VFW Post No. 8739’s Memorial Day service starts at 9:45 a.m. with wreaths to be placed at the memorials at the old Ogle County Courthouse.
At 10 a.m., combined units, consisting of the Oregon VFW Color Guard and the American Legion Color Guard, Oregon High School Band, Brownies and Scouts will march from the courthouse to Riverside Cemetery on North Third Street, where services will begin at about 10:15 a.m. Bleacher seating will be available. Guest speaker will be state Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon.
After the service, there will be a potluck luncheon at the VFW, 1310 W. Washington St. The public can bring a dish to pass. For more information, call Legion Cmdr. Richard Day, 815-732-4477.
n Polo: The Polo American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will have a parade at 9:30 a.m., heading down East Mason Street to Division Avenue, then north to Fairmont Cemetery, where a ceremony will commence. A trailer will be available at 610 S. Division Ave. for people to ride on in the parade.
n Mount Morris: A Memorial Day service will begin at 10 a.m. in the band shell on the Kable News campus. The speaker is Doug Wean, who was a Navy Corpsman with the Third Marine Division in Vietnam.
n Prophetstown-Lyndon: A Memorial Day service will begin at 9 a.m. at Lyndon Cemetery. At 10 a.m., there will be a parade from the Prophetstown American Legion hall, 215 Washington St., to Eclipse Square.
n Nelson: A Memorial Day service will begin at 11 a.m. at Nelson Cemetery on Nelson Road. The Rev. John Kalebaugh, pastor of Refuge Church, Amboy, will conduct the service.
n Tampico: The annual Tampico Memorial Day Cemetery Walk will begin at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Cemetery on North Benton Street and ends at Tampico Memorial Cemetery, on state Route 172 just north of Tampico. In case of rain, the historical programs will be at the Historical Society Building, 119 Main St.
n Milledgeville: The Milledgeville American Legion’s Memorial Day service begins at 9:30 a.m. at Milledgeville High School, on state Route 40. The high school choir and band will perform. The speaker will be Keith Mayne, a member of the Army Reserve. There will be a color guard and honor guard.
n Amboy: The Amboy Legion’s services begin at 9 a.m. Sunday at Prairie Repose Cemetery, and at 10:30 a.m. at Woodside Cemetery, Lee Center.
The Legion also will have services at 11 a.m. Monday in Sublette and at noon Monday in Woodhaven.
There also will be a program at 10 a.m. Monday at Amboy Veterans Park, at the intersection of East Avenue and Division Street. The Amboy High School band will perform the national anthem. In case of rain, the program will be at the high school, 11 E. Hawley St.
n Walnut: The American Legion of Walnut will have Memorial Day services at 11 a.m. Monday at Walnut Cemetery. Walnut’s current armed forces members will be honored by the Legion’s presentation of a Blue Star Banner to the soldiers’ parents. Anyone with a family member in the service is eligible to display a Blue Star Banner in their window.
n Ohio: St. Mary Cemetery Memorial Day services will begin at 8 a.m. with Mass at Immaculate Conception Church, 204 N. Main St. A collection will be taken to defray cemetery operating costs. After Mass, participants will drive to the cemetery on Baseline Road, north of Ohio, where there will be a rosary service, conducted by the Rev. Daniel Wilder.
n Manlius: Memorial Day services will start at 10 a.m. at the village park on Second Street. Attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs.
n Princeton: American Legion Post 125 and the Legion Auxiliary will conduct Memorial Day services beginning with graveside services at Oakland Cemetery at 8 a.m., followed by services at Elm Lawn at about 8:20 a.m. Services will continue at Prairie Repose Cemetery at Dover about 8:50 a.m., and at Malden Cemetery at 9:15 a.m.
A parade will begin at 10 a.m. at Nelson’s Drug Store and travel along Main Street to Soldier’s and Sailor’s Park, where Navy veteran David Olson of American Legion Post 125 will speak.
