Three Tracy veterans will be honored for a combined 160 years of continuous Tracy American Legion membership at this year’s 9:30 a.m. program at The Caboose. Veterans who have passed away in the last year will also be acknowledged.
The keynote speaker will be Marine Reid Kimball, and the invocation and benediction will be given by Chaplain Justin Stoks. The National Anthem will be performed by Xander Brinkley, Elsie Knott, Cohen Radke, Owen Beier and Noah Schmidt. There will be coffee and cookies available after the laying of the wreaths.
BALATON
A free breakfast for all veterans and their family will be offered at Balaton One Stop from 7-8:45 a.m. The Memorial Day program will be at the TruShrimp gymnasium at 9 a.m. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Steven J. Voris of First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. Rev. Voris is a former Navy Chaplain having served multiple tours overseas along with serving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, where he has officiated numerous committal services for Pearl Harbor attack survivors.
(All times moving forward are approximate): 10-10:15 a.m.: Continuation of program at Lakeside Cemetery; 10:15-noon: Cemetery Walk presented by Mary Ellen Mattson in conjunction with the Balaton Area Historical Society. The walk will focus on Veterans of Balaton. The program is presented by Stone & Groeneweg American Legion Post #237 of Balaton.
In the event of inclement weather, all activities will take place in the gymnasium.
CURRIE
The Honor Guard will be at Willow Lake Church (9 a.m.), End-O-Line (9:30 a.m.), Pioneer Cemetery (9:45 a.m.), I.H.M. (10 a.m.) and the bridge (10:30 a.m.). Times are approximate.
After, the keynote speaker will be Kenneth Bassett for the 11 a.m. event at the Currie Fire Hall. Currie American Legion Commander Chris Lamfers will give the opening, and Ethan Schreier and Amarah Gervais will read “Flanders Field” and “America’s Answer,” respectively. Legion Post Chaplian Jerry Fogelson will give the invocation and benediction.
There will also be musical selections from the I.H.M. Choir and 50-year continuous memberships will be recognized, followed by the playing of Taps.
A meal will follow, courtesy of the Currie Sons of the American Legion, and the Currie Auxiliary is supplying desserts. The Legion building will be open after.
GARVIN
Garvin’s Memorial Day program will begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Bethel Cemetery just east of Garvin (please bring your own lawn chair). Lunch provided by the Auxiliary at the hall following the service (freewill offering). In case of rain, the program will take place at Lake Sarah Lutheran Church.
MILROY
The Memorial Day program will be at 10 a.m. at the Milroy Public School, with a gathering at the Milroy Park Memorial after.
WALNUT GROVE
The Walnut Grove program will be at 9:30 a.m. at the Westbrook-Walnut Grove Elementary School. The speaker will be Pat Kavanaugh, and the sixth-grade band will perform.
