Several Memorial Day services set in the Tri-State Area

Today, Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials, and by attending ceremonies and parades. The wearing of a red poppy in remembrance of those fallen in war became part of the tradition after the publication of the poem “In Flanders Fields.”

The poem was written during World War I by Canadian physician Lt. Col. John McCrae. His inspiration for writing the poem came after presiding over the funeral of a friend and fellow soldier who died in the Second Battle of Ypres.

“In Flanders Fields” was written and first published in 1915, and is a common English name of World War I battlefields in Belgium and France. The poem references the red poppies that grew over the graves of fallen soldiers, and its popularity resulted in the remembrance poppy becoming one of the world’s most recognized memorial symbols for soldiers who have died in conflict.

Memorial Day services around the tri-state area are as follows:

Saturday, May 27:

POINT PLEASANT, WV — A Memorial Day parade will be held in downtown Point Pleasant beginning at 1 p.m. on Main Street. A memorial ceremony will follow.

Monday, May 29:

RACINE, Ohio — Racine American Legion Post 602 will hold a Memorial Day service at the Veterans Memorial beside the post at 10 a.m. US Navy Veteran Charles Curtis will be the guest speaker, and refreshments will follow.

GALLIPOLIS, Ohio — A Memorial Day Parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. in downtown Gallipolis. A service will follow at Gallipolis City Park, with guest speaker Steve Lee. Members of the VFW, American Legion, DAV/AMVETS, Marine Corp League, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary will conduct the service.

POMEROY, Ohio — Drew Webster American Legion Post #39 will hold their annual Memorial Day service on the Pomeroy Levy beginning at noon. The guest speaker will be David Hall, an active member of the American Legion and the VFW. Post 39 also holds tributes that include a prayer, gun salute, and the playing of “Taps” at several local cemeteries before and after the ceremony on the Levy.

Commemoration of the day continues in Pomeroy with a parade scheduled for 5 p.m. Line-up begins at 4:30 at the Pomeroy Ballfields parking lot. The parade route is from the parking lot, down Main Street, turning at Farmers Bank, then up 2nd Avenue past the Courthouse. Individuals, businesses, and organizations are encouraged to participate and or attend the parade. Contact Andrea Neutzling at 740-856-9825 for entry or for more information.