Lenawee County communities announce parades, ceremonies for Memorial Day
Parades and ceremonies to honor those who gave their lives while serving in the military will take place on Memorial Day, which is Monday, May 29. Communities in and near Lenawee County have planned the following services:
Adrian
WHAT: Parade and ceremony.
WHEN: 11 a.m.
DETAILS: The parade, hosted by American Legion Post 97, will form at 10:30 a.m. at the Adrian Armory Events Center and step off at 11 a.m. and travel east on Maumee Street to Monument Park where a ceremony will be conducted. If interested in participating in the parade, contact Dave Loop at 517-260-1858.
Blissfield
WHAT: Parade, ceremony and chicken dinner
WHEN: Parade and chicken dinner at 11 a.m.
DETAILS: The parade starts at the post office on South Lane Street and travels to the bridge on U.S 223 over the River Raisin where flowers will be cast into the river and a gun salute will take place. The parade continues to Pleasant View Cemetery for a program, music from the Blissfield High School band and another gun salute. The Blissfield American Legion's annual chicken dinner begins serving to the public at 11 a.m. and continues until sold out.
Britton-Ridgeway Twp.
WHAT: Parade and ceremonies.
WHEN: 9 a.m.
DETAILS: American Legion Post No. 155. Individuals and groups are encouraged to participate in the parade as marchers, on floats or with their vehicles. Parade lineup is 8:45 a.m. Direct questions to Sam Skelton at 517-918-2512. The parade will step off at 9 a.m. from the high school, will go to M-50, then east to the railroad tracks, make a U-turn, go west to Church Street, the south to the Veterans Memorial in the park southeast of the school for a ceremony at 9:20 a.m. Another ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at the Ridgeway Cemetery.
Brooklyn
WHAT: Parade and ceremony.
WHEN: 10 a.m.
DETAILS: There will be a parade in downtown Brooklyn.
Clinton
WHAT: Parade and services.
WHEN: 10 a.m.
DETAILS: The parade starts at Kehoe Road and Currier Street. It will go north on Currier Street and west on Michigan Avenue to Burton Street. There will be a dedication at Veterans Memorial Park and then a ceremony at River Side Cemetery for the unknown soldier.
Deerfield
WHAT: Parade and ceremony.
WHEN: 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.
DETAILS: People will gather at 8:30 a.m. at American Legion Post 392. A service at 9 a.m. at St. Alphonsus Cemetery will be led by the Rev. Jeffrey Poll. There also will be a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. at Deerfield Township Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. For the parade, assembly will be at the four corners and the parade will start at 10 a.m. and march to the bridge, and then to the Legion, followed by the placing of wreaths. After the ceremonies, the Boy Scouts will do a flag retirement at the Legion. The speaker at the Legion home will be U.S. Air Force veteran Jamie Paxton.
Fairfield Twp.-Weston
WHAT: Breakfast, parade and ceremony.
WHEN: Bicycle judging contest at 8:30 a.m., parade starts at 9 a.m.
DETAILS: Adrian American Legion Post No. 275 will sponsor the Memorial Day activities. The Fairfield Township firefighters will serve a breakfast starting at 7 a.m. Bicycle and ATV decorating contests begin at 8:30 a.m. A parade will begin at 9 a.m. through Weston and is followed by a ceremony at the cemetery. The Fairfield Township fire hall will be open for refreshments. The township Citizen of the Year Award and the American Legion Post 275 Citizens of the Year Award will be presented.
Hudson
WHAT: Ceremony.
WHEN: 11 a.m.
DETAILS: A ceremony at Maple Grove Cemetery will feature the Rev. Brian Comiskey, pastor of First Methodist Church, as the guest speaker and the Rev. Bill VanValkenburg with the benediction and dedication. The Hudson High School band and other students from the high school and Sacred Heart School will be present. The program will end with a military salute and the playing of taps. The honor guard and bugler will reassemble at Calvary Cemetery for a short program.
Morenci
WHAT: Parade and chicken dinner.
WHEN: 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
DETAILS: The parade will start at 10 a.m., heading east on Main Street, turn north onto North Street (M-156) and end at Oak Grove Cemetery. Kids are invited to dress in red, white and blue and decorate their bicycles, wagons or strollers to join the parade. No motorized kids' vehicles are allowed. During the parade, there will be a pause at the Bean Creek bridge for a ceremony to honor sailors who died at sea. Prior to the parade, the Morenci American Legion post will conduct a ceremony at Wakefield Park. A barbecue chicken dinner will open at 12:30 p.m. at the Legion post, 9010 Morenci Road. The dinners include chicken, potato salad, baked beans and a roll for $15.
Onsted
WHAT: Parade and ceremonies.
WHEN: Noon.
DETAILS: Services begin at 9 a.m. and take place at Rome Center, St. Michael's and All Angels Church, and St. Joseph Shrine. The parade will start at noon at the Onsted American Legion post, 333 Connor St.
Palmyra
WHAT: Parade, memorial service and pancake breakfast.
WHEN: 9 a.m. for the parade and 7 to 10 a.m. for the fire department’s annual pancake breakfast.
DETAILS: Between 7 and 10 a.m. the Palmyra Township Fire Department and Firefighters Association will offer their annual pancake breakfast at the fire station, 4276 Rouget Road. Adult meals are $6, seniors and children are $4, and veterans will be able to eat for free.
The parade begins at 9 a.m. at the township hall, 6490 Palmyra Road, heading to Rouget Road, going south and then west on U.S. 223 to the Palmyra Main Cemetery. A memorial service will take place at the cemetery. All parade participants are asked to arrive at the Palmyra Township Hall no later than 8:30 a.m. There will be a contest for anyone 15 or younger with the most patriotic bicycle, tricycle or unicycle as well as a contest for the most patriotic floats for any age. Prizes will be cash.
Supervisor Dave Pixley or clerk Christine Whited can be contacted at 517-605-1121 or 517-260-8628, respectively, with questions.
Riga
WHAT: Parade and ceremony.
WHEN: 2 p.m.
DETAILS: American Legion Post No. 325 in Blissfield will sponsor and conduct a parade and ceremony around the Riga Township Cemetery, along Cemetery Road. There will be bikes and walkers in the parade around the cemetery. A short service is planned with Reg Karg, U.S. Army veteran and township planning commission member, as the speaker. Lauren Gust, a sixth grader and daughter of Joe and Katy Gust, will recite the Gettysburg Address.
Tecumseh
WHAT: Parade and service.
WHEN: 10 a.m.
DETAILS: Tecumseh will have a flyover again this year. The line up for the parade will be at 9 a.m. at city hall at Chicago Boulevard and Maumee Street. There will be a brief service at 9:40 a.m. at city hall before the parade. The parade with 71 units will begin at 10 a.m. and travel to Union Street, then north to Brookside Cemetery and will include bagpipe players Tom Kennedy and Richard Burton. A service will take place at Brookside, honoring World War II Army veteran Donald Brosamer and Korean War Army veteran Claudio Torres. The ceremonies will include the Plymouth Fife and Drum Corps, the Lenawee County Sheriff's Office Mounted Division, the Tecumseh High School Band and speaker Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan E. Northrop and Tecumseh singer Faith Rhodes.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee County communities prepare Memorial Day parades, ceremonies
