Ceremonies planned for Memorial Day
Pierce County American Legion and Legion Auxiliary members will be up early Monday morning as they visit cemeteries throughout Pierce County and march in annual parades to pay tribute to military men and women who have died.
Pierce County American Legion and Legion Auxiliary members will be up early Monday morning as they visit cemeteries throughout Pierce County and march in annual parades to pay tribute to military men and women who have died.
Listed below is a rundown of events.
Ellsworth
The main speaker for the Ellsworth Memorial Day program will be John Miller, Wisconsin American Legion 10th District sergeant at arms.
Kinne-Engelhart Post 204 will start its annual parade at 9:45 a.m. The route will be from the Legion Hall to Main Street, then east on Main to Chestnut Street and south on Chestnut to the Ellsworth High School cafetorium.
The program there will start at 10:15 a.m. with Post Commander Richard Madsen as master of ceremonies.
At 10:20 a.m., there will be a drum roll and advance of colors. Pastor Rodney Wicklund of Living Waters Christian Fellowship will offer the invocation.
Following musical selections from the Ellsworth High School band, Auxiliary President Denise Blaisdell will introduce guests and Gold Star Mothers.
Miller will speak before Legionnaires Gerald Christianson and Richard DeCosta lead the tribute to deceased veterans, after which Blaisdell will preside over the wreath ceremony.
There will be a flag folding demonstration with narrative by Christianson. The Boy Scouts will recite the poem, “In Flanders Field.”
A prayer and benediction by Pastor Wicklund will precede the firing of the gun salute and playing of “Taps,” with a drum roll and retirement of colors concluding the program.
Afterward, lunch will be served at the Legion Hall, with family members invited.
The cemetery visitation schedule is:
—Squad 1: 7:45 a.m., Maple Grove; 8 a.m., United Church of Christ; 8:25 a.m., Zion Covenant; 8:45 a.m., Old Clayfield; and 9 a.m., Clayfield.
—Squad 2: 7:45 a.m., St. Francis; 8 a.m., Thurston Hill; 8:15 a.m., Beldenville; 8:50 a.m., El Paso; and 9:05 a.m., Lost Creek.
—Squad 3: 7:45 a.m., Hartland Presbyterian; 8 a.m., Bethlehem Lutheran; 8:25 a.m., Bethel Covenant (Moeville); and 8:55 a.m., Trimbelle.
Bay City
Legionnaire Jon Ebensperger will be the guest speaker at Bay City observances.
Legion Post 357 and its Auxiliary will visit eight sites on Memorial Day.
Legion and Auxiliary members will start at 8 a.m. at Eidsvold Cemetery in Esdaile. The ceremony at Hartland Cemetery will begin at 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m., Legion members will assemble at Tabor Lutheran Cemetery.
At 9:30 a.m. ceremonies will be held at the lakeshore in Bay City to honor those who died at sea. The Ellsworth Middle School Band, under the direction of Lisa Benz, will play there. Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts will join in that program.
Ebensperger will speak at a 10 a.m. program at Bay City Cemetery. The band will play there also.
Services will be held at 10:45 a.m. at Trenton Cemetery, and Ebensperger will also speak there.
An 11:30 a.m. service at Diamond Bluff Cemetery and a noon observance at Svea Lutheran Cemetery will conclude the activities.
Elmwood
Wisconsin State Commander Denise Rohan will be the guest speaker when Crain-Ottman American Legion Post 207 of Elmwood holds its Memorial Day observances.
The ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Monday in Veterans Memorial Park in Elmwood. The remodeled park will be dedicated at that time as well.
After the dedication, there will be a luncheon at the Elmwood Auditorium and a display of historical items the Legion and Auxiliary have collected.
Because of the Memorial Park dedication, times for all cemetery services have been changed for this year only.
Legionaries and Auxiliary members are asked to meet at the Elmwood Auditorium by 7:45 a.m. Memorial Day. Departure time for participants will be 8 a.m.
Ceremonies are scheduled at these cemeteries: Hatchville Lutheran, 8:15 a.m.; Oak Ridge (Reed), 8:30 a.m.; Spring Lake (both), 8:50 a.m.; Sacred Heart (Farm Hill), 9:30 a.m.; Old Rock Elm, 9:45 a.m.; and Poplar Hill, 10 a.m.
Maiden Rock
Maiden Rock Post 158 American Legionnaires will observe Memorial Day at the following cemeteries: Little Plum, 7:25 a.m.; Frankfort, 7:40 a.m.; Porcupine, 7:55 a.m.; Moravian, 8:25 a.m.; Old Sabylund, 8:35 a.m.; New Stockholm Cemetery, 8:50 a.m.; Old Stockholm, 9:05 a.m.; Oakwood Pepin, 9:30 a.m.; New Sabylund, 10 a.m.; Swedish Methodist, 10:15 a.m.; Maiden Rock, 10:45 a.m.; and Lake Pepin lake shore, 11 a.m., for those who died at sea.
Plum City
Plum City Memorial Day services will begin at 8 a.m. at Marie Lund Cemetery in Lund.
A general assembly will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the American Legion Hall. Legionnaires will decorate graves at Free Home Cemetery south of Plum City at 9 a.m., at Ono Cemetery at Grange Hall at 9:30 a.m. and at Union and Catholic cemeteries north of Plum City at 10:15 a.m. American Legion Post 365 decorates the individual graves of 243 veterans at five cemeteries.
This year’s visit to the Plum City Care Center to show honor to the homebound veterans will follow the cemetery services at about 11 a.m.
Members of Post 365 will then proceed to Spring Pond Park for a ceremony, followed by a program and lunch at the American Legion Hall. The guest speaker will be Pepin County Sheriff John Andrews.
Music at all locations will be provided by Michael Bonn and the Plum City Junior High Band.
Prescott
The speaker for Prescott’s Memorial Day program will be Mayor Mark Huber.
Events will start at 8:30 a.m. Monday, May 30, when VFW and American Legion members assemble at the Legion Hall on Pearl Street. Rifles will be fired at 9 a.m.
Participants will visit the nursing home (Borner and Orin Streets) at 9:15 a.m., St. Mary's Cemetery in Big River at 9:30 a.m., and St. John’s Cemetery at 9:45 a.m. A ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at Mercord Mill Park. Rifles will be fired at the park and again at 10:15 a.m. from a site between the bridges.
Parade line-up will be at 10:30 a.m. at the middle school.
The parade will proceed to “Veterans Triangle” at the entrances of Pine Glen and St. Joseph’s cemeteries for a program at about 11:15 a.m.
Parade participants will include the veterans’ color guard, the high school band, special guests and decorated bikes.
Spring Valley
The Memorial Day program in Spring Valley will start at 9:30 a.m. at Handy Andy Park, according to Post 227 Commander Pete Esanbock.
This year the public is also invited to a Legion-hosted picnic at the park following the program. Hot dogs and brats will be served.
This year’s keynote speaker for the 9:30 program will be Jim Houdek, Spring Valley.
The Spring Valley High School Band will play a prelude before the program begins. As the program starts, the band will play “The Star Spangled Banner,” and local Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
Esanbock will give opening remarks. Post 227 members will lower the flag to half staff, and a local minister will give the invocation.
Legion Auxiliary President Jeanette Timm will preside over the laying of wreaths, and the names of Spring Valley veterans who have died in the past year will be read aloud.
A firing squad salute, the playing of “Taps” and a benediction will end the ceremonies.
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