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Remembering our fallen: Parade in IM, services throughout region on Memorial Day

Iron Mountain fifth-graders Max White, left, and Parker Sommerfeld, place flags on the graves of veterans at the Iron Mountain Cemetery in preparation for Memorial Day. (Chris Tomassucci/Daily News photo)

A full slate of events are planned in area communities to mark Memorial Day on Monday.

Public ceremonies in the region include:

IRON MOUNTAIN

The Dickinson County Office of Veterans Affairs will “Remember Veterans” at its annual Memorial Day ceremony. Coordinators will focus on veterans who served in World War I, as last year marked the 100th anniversary, and Vietnam veterans on the 50th commemoration of that conflict.

The event will begin at 8:45 a.m. Monday with a parade from The Daily News office on Ludington Street in Iron Mountain and proceed through downtown Stephenson Avenue to the Dickinson County Courthouse. Participants are asked to line up at 8:15 a.m.

The program will begin at the courthouse at 9 a.m. Mary Stolze of Iron Mountain, a nurse who served with a M.A.S.H. unit in Vietnam, will be the main speaker.

Kingsford High School student Benjamin Anderson, who was the Memorial essay winner, will be a guest speaker as well. Area Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Musical performances will be by the Iron Mountain and Kingsford High School bands.

If it rains, the program will be moved to the Braumart Theatre, 106 E. B St. in Iron Mountain.

The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain will have its annual Memorial Day Ceremony for inpatients at 10:30 a.m. Monday in the outdoor pavilion behind the medical center. If the weather is poor, the ceremony will be in room 5150 on the fifth floor’s west wing, above the outpatient area.

BREITUNG

TOWNSHIP

Kingsford Carpenter-Clash American Legion Post 363 services will begin at 10:15 a.m. Monday at the Breitung Township Cemetery in Quinnesec.

Master of ceremonies will be Adjutant Gary Chapman. Sons of the American Legion Chaplin Conner Hansen will give the invocation.

Flags will be presented by the Sons of the American Legion, with the local Scout Pack 510 leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

A plaque presentation will be given to retiring Breitung Township Superintendent John Gaudette.

The Post 363 sergeant-at-arms will lead the POW and MIA salute.

Main speaker for the program will be Guy Forstrom, Breitung Township public works superintendent.

Student speaker will be Peyton Johnson, an eighth-grader at Kingsford Middle School.

Musical selections as well as “Taps” will be provided by the Kingsford High School band under the direction of Ben Sherk.

They will recognize deceased Post 363 member Ronald Lacost, who died since the last Memorial Day.

The Post will salute fallen soldiers as well with the firing of three rounds, plus firing one round for the unknown soldier.

After the main program at the Breitung Township Cemetery, post members will go to Memorial Gardens and conduct a short program for veterans buried there.

NORWAY

A brief ceremony will begin the Memorial Day program at the band shell before the parade assembles at 10:15 a.m. Monday on Railroad Avenue, then steps off at 10:30 a.m. down Main Street.

Services at the Norway Township Cemetery will start at 11 a.m. The flag will be presented and raised by members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion.

The Norway City Band will perform the National Anthem.

Terry Backlund will be master of ceremonies. VFW Chaplain George Olson will give the invocation.

Marie Devine will place wreath as a tribute to the unknown soldier and to all war dead. Olson also will read a prayer for departed comrades.

The Norway City Band, Norway High School Band and Norway High School choir will perform.

Norway High School student Mackenzie Gilroy will read the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae.

Dickinson County Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Richards will give the Memorial Day address.

Wally Zychowski, American Legion chaplain, will give prayer.

The American Legion and VFW Firing Squads will fire three volleys for the war dead and a single round for the unknown soldier. Taps by the Norway City Band will conclude program.

In case of inclement weather, the parade will be canceled and the program will be moved to the Norway High School Fine Arts Center in Norway.

HERMANSVILLE-FAITHORN

Memorial Day ceremonies, conducted by the Floriano-Stecker-Kelly American Legion Post 340, begin at 5 a.m. Monday by raising the flag to half-staff at the Riverside and Meyer Township cemeteries.

Members of the Legion, Auxiliary, Vietnam Veterans of America, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts will meet at 8 a.m. at the post’s club rooms.

Services will be 9 a.m. at Riverside Cemetery in Faithorn, 9:30 a.m. at the Menominee River in Faithorn, 10:30 a.m. at Hermansville Lake, 10:45 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Marker and 11:15 a.m. at the Meyer Township Cemetery.

Post 340 will give the memorial prayer. Music will be provided by the North Central High School and Norway High School bands at the cemeteries.

American Legion Commander James Wash will introduce the speakers. The Legion post will conduct the roll call of deceased veterans.

Placing of wreaths will be done by Ray Luft of Post 340, Vietnam Veterans of America, Ladies Auxiliary Post 340 and others.

VVA Thomas St. Onge Chapter 571 will salute the dead.

Taps will be played by a member of each band.

The Ladies Auxiliary will serve lunch at the Legion Club rooms in Hermansville after the service at the Meyer Township Cemetery.

Coffee and brunch will be served at the Faithorn Town Hall after the Menominee River service.

FELCH-FOSTER CITY

The Felch-Breen Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4803 will conduct Memorial Day services at three locations Monday: 9 a.m. at the Ralph cemetery, 10:15 a.m. at the Felch Cemetery and 11 a.m. at the Foster City Cemetery.

Veterans can meet at 8 a.m. at the VFW Clubhouse.

The North Dickinson High School Band will provide music at the Felch and Foster City cemeteries.

Community members are asked to help honor those who served the country. An open house will begin at noon at the clubhouse, with food and refreshments.

CHANNING

Channing American Legion Post 168 will conduct Memorial Day service at 9 a.m. Monday at the Channing Cemetery.

American Legion Commander Gregg Harper will be emcee and speaker for the program.

The North Dickinson High School Band and members of local church choirs will perform.

CRYSTAL FALLS-AMASA

The East Side Veterans Council will conduct the Memorial Day ceremonies in Crystal Falls. The parade will assemble at 8:30 a.m. at Washington Avenue and Logan Street, then kicks off at 9 a.m. to Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.

Christopher Sholander will be master of ceremonies. After the invocation, the Forest Park High School band will provide music.

The event main speaker will be Air Force Master Sgt. Blair J. Anderson, who has served for 22 years in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve and Air Force, performing signals intelligence analysis and reporting, targeting, information operations and intelligence oversight and compliance to support Air Force, Army, National Security Agency and Joint Staff missions. His expertise in signals intelligence has directly assisted fighters in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

After the speech, and music by the Forest Park High School band, the VFW Auxiliary will lead the wreath ceremony. The color guard will lead a volley, followed by taps played by the band’s buglers and closing prayer.

After the ceremony, participants will board buses to Amasa for the parade and downtown and then to Hematite Cemetery, where the program will be repeated.

If bad weather threatens, the parade will be canceled and the service moved to 9:30 a.m. in the Eddie Chambers Memorial Gym at Forest Park High School.

IRON RIVER

Memorial Day events begin at 9 a.m. Monday with a volley fired at the old City Cemetery.

The West Side Veterans Council will lead a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. at the newly remodeled Veterans Memorial on Genesee Street, featuring the black granite Wall of Honor.  

A parade up Genesee Street will take place just after the memorial ceremonies.

The program at Resthaven Cemetery in Iron River starts at 11 a.m. The master of ceremonies is retired Navy veteran Darin Long, and the invocation is by retired Air Force veteran Don Wolf.

The National Anthem will be sung by Erika Lindwall and Abby Miller. Representatives of the VFW Ottawa Post 3134 and American Legion Post 17 Auxiliaries will present the wreaths.

Josh Nodurft, a retired member of the U.S. Marine Corps, will be guest speaker. West Side Veterans Council will lead the service.

The program will be repeated at noon at the cemetery in Alvin, Wis.

Flags will be places at the Resthaven Cemetery at 9 a.m. Saturday.

STAMBAUGH

Members of the Reino American Legion Post 21 will place flags on the graves of veterans at 9 a.m. Sunday at the Stambaugh Cemetery.

The Memorial Day program will start at 10:30 a.m., with Marie Brunswick serving as master of ceremonies.

The flag will be raised by members of the Caspian-Gaastra Fire Department.

Deacon Robert Kostka of St. Agnes/St. Cecelia Catholic Church, chaplain of Post 21, will give the invocation and benediction.

Darla Bonno and Linda Nasser, members of the Post 21 Auxiliary, will place a wreath on a cross in honor of all deceased veterans. West Iron County students Eden Golliher and Brayden Nelson will give recitations.

This year’s guest speaker is Senior Master Sgt. Darrin Sabol, who is avionics section supervisor for the 128th Air Refueling Wing, based in Milwaukee. He has 27 years of service.

Sabol was born and raised in Caspian and graduated from West Iron County High School in 1989. He joined the Air Force as a communication and navigation systems specialist, stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for eight years and was an integral part of the repair of avionics systems installed on newly designed aircraft.

He is a member of American Legion Reino Post 21 and provides supervision, guidance and mentoring to 25 personnel on behalf of the Air Force, Air National Guard and 128th Air Refueling Wing.

The Stambaugh Cemetery program will conclude with the volley by the post firing squad and the playing of taps.

If poor weather threatens, the program will be moved to the Caspian-Gaastra Fire Hall.

The American Legion Reino Post 21 also will conduct a Memorial Day service at 1:30 p.m. at the Iron River Care Center. All are welcome to attend.

BATES TOWNSHIP

Memorial Day services at the Bates Township Cemetery start at 8 a.m. Monday with the flag-raising by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3134 of Iron River.

Music will be provided by One Voice U.P. The invocation and benediction will be by the Rev. Kraig Tass, pastor of Iron River Bible Church.

Main speaker will be Don Waters, associate pastor of Iron River Bible Church and a former U.S. Navy lieutenant.

Barbara Benson-Stafford will read the roll call. After the benediction, the color guard will fire a salute and taps played to conclude the program.

Refreshments will be serve just after the ceremony at the Bates Township Hall.

In poor weather threatens, the ceremony will be moved to the hall.

BEECHWOOD

Ceremonies at Rosehill Cemetery in Beechwood will begin at 8 a.m. after the Amvets Post 436 color guard marches to the site.

Pat Turner will be master of ceremonies, with Charles Scheffler giving the invocation and benediction.

Harlie and Gracyn Melstrom will place the wreath. Melina Lopez will provide a reading, followed by a musical presentation by Krista Gussert and Gary Friestrom, with additional vocals by Annalia Lopez.

The speaker will be James Rice, director of the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain.

Trumpeter Curt Brendel will play “The Star-Spangled Banner,” along with “America the Beautiful” and taps.

The Post 436 color guard will fire the volley.

Immediately after the program, everyone is invited to a social at Beechwood Hall.

AMBERG

The Mullany-McTrusty Legion Post 428 and Auxiliary will conduct their annual Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Amberg Cemetery in Amberg, Wis.

Guest speaker will be Jeff Mursau.

Members will meet at 10:30 a.m. outside the cemetery to march to the Avenue of Flags.

The Wausaukee band will play taps and other selections. The Legion will provide a gun salute and Auxiliary members will lay a wreath.

A Memorial Day dinner will follow at the Amberg Community Center, sponsored by the Evangelical United Presbyterian Church of Amberg.

PEMBINE-DUNBAR

The American Legion, along with the American Legion Auxiliary of Post 461 of Pembine, will have Memorial Day services starting at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Pembine Cemetery in Pembine, Wis.

The Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine band will perform musical selections. They also plan to have a guest speaker.

After the Pembine services, post members and auxiliary will conduct services at the Dunbar cemetery.

A lunch will be served at the Dunbar Town Hall after the services for those that wish to attend.

NIAGARA

Cretton-Tutas American Legion Post 136 of Niagara, Wis., will have a Memorial Day service at 2 p.m. Monday at the Niagara Cemetery.

All are invited to attend a reception after the service at the Niagara Senior Center on Washington Avenue. Refreshments will be served.

FLORENCE-COMMONWEALTH

The American Legion Post 211 of Florence, Wis., will have a program at 9 a.m. at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Florence, with a ceremony to follow at 11 a.m. at the Commonwealth Cemetery.

If poor weather threatens, ceremonies will be at 9 a.m. at the Florence Community Center.

HOMESTEAD-AURORA

The Memorial Day program will be 11 a.m. Monday in front of the Veterans Memorial at the Homestead-Aurora Cemetery, on County Road B about 3 miles west of Aurora, Wis.

Special music will be provided by Kevin Fraker, along with memorial readings and roll call of deceased veterans.

Those attending should bring a lawn chair. Refreshments will be provided by the Aurora Free Church.

If poor weather threatens, the program will be at the Aurora Free Church, 1867 Cemetery Court.

TIPLER-LONG LAKE

Florence Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3635 will have Memorial Day services at 10 a.m. at the Martin Cemetery in Tipler, Wis., and at 10:45 a.m. at Long Lake Cemetery.

CRIVITZ

The Netzel-Zenz American Legion Post 413 will conduct services at 9:15 a.m. Monday at the Middle Inlet Cemetery and 10:30 a.m. at the Crivitz Forest Home Cemetery.

The guest speaker will be Natasha Hanson, vice commander of the Post 413 and creator of the PTSD Run for Recovery.

The Crivitz Middle School band, under the direction of Brian Kopfhammer, will provide an arrangement of Armed Forces melodies and taps.

The Honor Guard will be from the Crivitz Legion Post 413 and VFW Post 2063.  

If poor weather threatens, the service at Middle Inlet will be cancelled and the Crivitz service will be at 10:30 a.m. at Crivitz Elementary School.

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