Just Musing: Memorial Day memories and a a new roundabout
Tomorrow (Monday) is Memorial Day — a day set aside to remember and honor our loved ones.
It is also touted as the first holiday of the summer season and often the first of several backyard barbecues. I can smell the hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, steaks, chicken, bratwurst and more already cooking on the grill. Along with them will be a variety of side dishes such as potato or pasta salads, cole slaw, baked beans, chips and dips and desserts.
Families will gather — many traveling by car or airplane or other means of transportation.
I remember my childhood years getting dressed in our best to watch the parade from the local school to the cemetery about 2 miles away and then loading up in the car and driving to the cemetery for services honoring those of the armed forces who had paid the ultimate sacrifice serving their country or those deceased but who had served.
Peonies were in abundance in private yards and all around the cemetery. Graves of those who served were marked with small American flags.
Today’s celebrations are similar to those of years past. Many towns or cities continue to have a parade followed by services at the local cemetery. Crowds gather along the parade route but not as many continue to the cemetery.
Many schools wrapped up the school year this past week and high school and college graduation ceremonies are behind us, but many open house celebrations are on the horizon. Often these celebrations will include alcoholic beverages. My hope is that parents who offer such beverages to young folks will take the initiative to provide safe transportation to get them home safely. We don’t want to see their names in headlines after celebrating this milestone of life.
This is also the time of year for orange barrels, detours and overall traffic headaches when traveling. I always think as I drive through the one lane often provided during construction how much better the drive will be when completed.
I see the Marion area has a new roundabout on 309 at Marion Williamsport Road. I was not a fan of roundabouts when they first began constructing them, but when signage warns of one ahead, I slow down a bit to drive through safely. There are not too many that are wide enough to maintain speeds of 50 miles per hour or faster. I have observed semis really struggling to make the turns without having one or more wheels end up on the middle concrete barrier — basically because they were built too tightly. That might be the case for the new one on 309 which I understand has already had a few accidents. If you drive that area frequently, if you slow down as you approach it you should do fine. Perhaps a reporter will have a highway patrolman explain how to drive through a roundabout.
I know when I am in Florida in the winter they are everywhere — the same in northern Virginia. In both places, it is not unusual to drive through one roundabout only to head into a second one. There is a place in The Villages in Florida and also in Inwood, West Virginia, where there are six within a 3-mile span. You can also Google how to drive through one with explicit directions and in some cases photos for clarity. I have not seen the roundabout on 309 but common sense tells me that those on Marion Williamsport would yield to any vehicle in the roundabout on 309 would have the right of way. Good luck as you learn to drive this somewhat new way of highway driving.
Let me leave you with this quotation by Colin Powell: “Always focus on the front windshield and not the rear view mirror.”
Until next week. Be safe and be kind.
Brenda Donegan is a former Marion Star staffer. She may be reached at brendadonegan55@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Memorial Day observances and the increasing number of roundabouts
