Memorial Day celebrations in area

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Brown County and surrounding communities will celebrate Memorial Day with observances in several cities on Monday, May 28. Color guards, readings, adresses, moments of silence, prayers, taps, 21-gun salutes and parades are common features to the celebrations, but start times, places, featured speakers and events will differ from town to town.

New Ulm's observance starts with a parade at 9 a.m.. that will form between 5th and 7th South streets and proceed down Minnesota Street to Johnson Park. Local veterans organizations, the New Ulm Fire Department and the Minnesota National Guard will lead the parade with color guards. The New Ulm High School Band, veterans organization auxiliary units, parents of veterans, Boy and Girl Scouts, school children and the New Ulm Battery will follow.

An observance at New Ulm City Cemetery will start at 10 a.m. The New Ulm Municipal Band will provide a snare drum escort followed by a color guard for parents of veterans. The New Ulm Municipal Band and the Concord Singers will perform musical selections.

Katherine M. Meyer, a senior at Cathedral High School, will give the Gettysburg Address. Fifth Judicial District Judge Bradley C. Walker, a former Marine Corps colonel and Desert Storm veteran, will deliver the memorial adress. The New Ulm Battery will give a salute following two more selections of music by the Municipal Band and the Concord Singers.

A moment of silence honoring deceased veterans of Brown County for the past year preceded taps, a World War II commemoration and the national anthem.

The New Ulm events are sponsored by the Joint Veterans Council, which includes local posts and auxilaries of the American Legion, Sons of the American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

SLEEPY EYE -- Sleepy Eye's Memorial Day parade begins at 9:30 a.m. Programs will be at St. Mary's Cemetery, Home Cemetery and Leavenworth Cemetery with refreshements to follow.

LAFAYETTE -- Memorial services in Lafayette begin at 10 a.m. Lafayette's services are in John Lund Memorial Park.

NICOLLET -- Nicollet's observances start at 11 a.m. Nicollet City Park will host its city's services. A 2 p.m. service will be held in Hebron Cemetery.

COMFREY -- Comfrey's Memorial Day program begins with a parade at 10 a.m., which will proceed from the school through town to the flag pole in North Park. The program is in Comfrey Community Center.

SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield residents will see that town's Memorial Day services start at 5 p.m. in the auditorium in Springfield Public School. Girl Scouts will begin the program by decorating crosses bearing deceased veterans' names. The Springfield American Legion and Auxiliary Color Guard, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will present colors at the service. The Springfield High School band will provide music. Girls Staters Jill Tollefson and Brittany Feser and Boys Staters Pat Leopold, Will Richert, Jason Lamote and Chris Veerkamp will perform readings.

The keynote speaker for Springfield's observance is Harlan Buck. Dr. David Preuss of Zion Lutheran Church will give an invocation and benediction. A silent prayer, a salute by an American Legion rifle squad and taps played by Springfield High School students John Larson and Dustin Dauer will end the ceremony. A lunch at Legion Memorial Hall will follow the program.

MORGAN -- Morgan's Memorial Day observance starts at 10:30 a.m. at Cedar Mountain School auditorium with a flag ceremony by the VFW. The Cedar Mountain High School band will play the national anthem. VFW Post Chaplain Dale Menk will give the invocation. Sherman Bohn VFW Post 5771 Commander Leonard Otto's welcome will follow. Cedar Mountain student Jenna Krivi will read the famous poem 'In Flanders Field'. Megan Madsen, of St. Michael's School, will read the Gettysburg Address. Wayne Haapoja of Redwood Falls will give the Memorial Day address. Menk will give the benediction.

The observance will shift to Gil-Mor Manor, where the VFW Ladies' Auxilary will perform a flag-raising ceremony and the Springfield High School Band will repeat the national anthem. The VFW firing squad will give a salute, a bugler will play taps and the band will play 'America' before the last leg of the observance begins in the Morgan City Cemetery, where Otto will a tribute to war dead, Menk will lead a prayer, and the band will play 'America' for the third and final time.

The VFW senior and junior vice commanders, office of the day, ladies auxilary president and post commander will lay wreaths, sprays and flags just before the firing squad gives its final salute. The observance will conclude with taps.

LAMBERTON -- Residents in the Lamberton area have three observances to choose from. Revere's observance is at the city hall, Wanda's is at the American Legion hall and Lamberton's is in the RRC High School gym. All three celebrations start at 10:30 a.m.

GIBBON -- Gibbon's Memorial Day Services are at 11:00 a.m. in the GFW gymnasium.

Winthrop's observances kick off at 9:45 with a parade at Second and Carver Streets. A program at the city cemetery follows.

ARLINGTON -- Services in Arlington begin at 9 a.m at the Veterans Memorial in Memorial Park. Green Isle's program starts at 10:30 a.m. at Green Isle School. Tributes will be held in five different churches--Assumption Church at 8:30, E &R Reform Church, Hamburg, at 8:40; Emmanuel Lutheran, Hamburg, at 8:50; Zion First at 9:15 and Zion Church at 9:30. Tributes will be held in St. Brendan's and St. Paul's cemetaries.

SANBORN -- Memorial Day services in Sanborn are at 9:30 in the Sanborn Cemetery.