Staff Report

WARSAW —  Many area communities have upcoming observances or events in honor of Memorial Day.

Following is a list of them:

Bourbon

• The Town of Bourbon will dedicate a memorial for fallen soldiers at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 28, at the park located in the center of town. Members of the post will be on hand to do a three-round volley.

Etna Green

• A service will be held at noon Sunday, May 28, at East Cemetery. All veterans and active servicemen and women are welcome and are asked to assemble at 11:30 a.m. As part of the ceremony there will a roll call of those who served and what cemetery they are interred in. Those attending are asked to bring a lawn chair to enjoy the service. Members of the Bourbon American Legion will be participating by providing a three-round volley.

Leesburg

• The Leesburg community will be having a Memorial Day parade and service at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 29. There will be a flag raising by the Boy Scouts before the parade at town hall. The parade will proceed from the town hall south on Pearl Street then west on Prairie Street to Leesburg Cemetery. The memorial service will be held after the parade. All veterans wishing to ride in the parade should be at town hall by 10:15 a.m. and all other participants should be in place by that time. In case of rain, the memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. inside the Leesburg Lions Building.

Mentone

• The Lawrence D. Bell Aircraft Museum and the Mentone Chamber of Commerce will host the annual Memorial Day program at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 28, at the Mentone Cemetery. This event is in remembrance of local community veterans who served the country.

Milford

• Milford will host its annual Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 29. Lineup will begin at 9 a.m. with the parade stepping off at 10 a.m. sharp. This year, organizers hope to have 200 entries. A ceremony will be held afterward in Milford Cemetery.

Nappanee

• Nappanee will host a parade at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 29, with a Memorial Day ceremony following immediately after. The parade will step off at Nappanee Elementary School, travel down Centennial Street to SR 19 and continue south down SR 19 to Lincoln Street, where it will end at city hall. A Memorial Day Ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. on the south lawn of the Nappanee City Hall. American Legion Post 154’s honor guard will participate in the rifle volley and the laying of the wreath.

New Paris

• New Paris will have a community Memorial Day parade and ceremony Sunday, May 28, hosted by the New Paris Chamber of Commerce and New Paris Boy Scouts Troop 12. The parade will step off at 2 p.m. from Main and Market Streets and proceed to the New Paris/Jackson Township Cemetery. Any participants who wish to be in the parade are welcomed. The New Paris Lions Club will be providing a float for any veterans who wish to ride and participate in the parade.
  The Memorial Day ceremony will begin at approximately 2:15 p.m. at the New Paris/Jackson Township Cemetery. This year’s speaker will be U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym III who represents Indiana’s 2nd District. New Paris Boy Scout Troop 12 will present and raise the colors. The Goshen Veterans Honor Guard will provide the rifle salute. A flyover is planned, weather permitting. A complimentary community ice cream social will be held immediately following the ceremony at Sunnyside Park pavilion. Sugar-free, gluten-free and nut-free cookies and ice cream options will be available. In case of severe weather, the parade will be canceled and the ceremony will be moved to Grace Bible Baptist Church, 68080 Division St.

North Webster

• The North Webster Community Center will host a Run for a Veteran 5K run/walk Saturday, May 27. Registration is at runsignup.com/Race/IN/NorthWebster/NWCCVeteRUNandWalkMemorialDay5k and closes Friday, May 26. Registration fees are $30 for both youth and adult participants. American Legion Post 253 will provide an honor guard at 8 a.m. prior to the start of the race. There will be a poppy table to raise money for veterans at the race as well.
• Taps Across Webster Lake will be held at 6:15 p.m. Sunday, May 28, at North Webster Town Park. More than 30 buglers participated last year. There will be a gun volley to signal the buglers for the playing of taps. A free community picnic and live patriotic music will follow.
• The American Legion’s honor guard will hold Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday, May 29, at 8 a.m. at Oswego Cemetery; 8:30 a.m. at Thorn Cemetery; 9 a.m. at Salem Cemetery; 9:30 a.m. at Oak Grove Cemetery, 10 a.m. at Mock Cemetery; and 10:30 a.m. at Post 253.
• A parade will be held at 10:45 a.m. Monday, May 29, with ceremony in North Webster Cemetery. A flag raising will be held at noon at the post.

Pierceton

• Pierceton will host a parade at 11 a.m. Monday, May 29, that will start at the fire station and travel to Brower Cemetery where a ceremony will take place.

Silver Lake

• A veterans’ ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 27, in Lakeview Cemetery, Silver Lake. The event is sponsored by the Silver Lake Lions Club.

Syracuse

• Syracuse will have a Memorial Day Parade at 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 29. The parade will step off at Medusa Street and travel north on SR 13 turning onto Main Street and ending at Syracuse Cemetery where a brief ceremony will be held. During the ceremony, Pastor Pat Park from Wawasee Baptist Church will give the opening and closing prayer while Town Manager Dave Wilkinson will be the featured speaker.

Warsaw

• The American Legion will hold a ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday, May 29, at the preacher’s stand in Oakwood Cemetery. Ken Locke, chair of the Honor and Remembrance Committee for Kosciusko County, will be the featured speaker.
  After the service, those present will go to each veterans’ circle in the cemetery to lay a wreath with the laying of taps and a three-round volley fired at the last circle.
• The Zimmer Biomet Veterans Resource Group will host a commemorative wreath-laying ceremony in honor of all servicemen and women who paid the ultimate price in the pursuit of freedom. The ceremony will be held from 11:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, May 25, followed by a Gold Star Luncheon from noon to 1 p.m. at the Winona Heritage Room, 901 Park Ave., Winona Lake. Participating in the commemoration will be the Warsaw High School’s Army JROTC, color guard, ceremonial honor guard, local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion chapters and local police, firefighters and first responders.