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• Memorial Day ceremonies planned in Pierce County

PIERCE COUNTY -- A retired brigadier general and a Gold Star Mother will be among the speakers as American Legion and Legion Auxiliary members from around Pierce County celebrate Memorial Day Monday, May 25.

Listed below is a rundown of events.

Ellsworth

Kinne-Engelhart Post 204 of the American Legion will start its annual parade at 9:45 a.m. The route will be from the Legion Hall to Main Street, then east on Main to Chestnut Street and south on Chestnut to the Ellsworth High School cafetorium.

The program there will start at 10:15 a.m., with Post Commander Richard DeCosta as master of ceremonies. The EHS band, directed by Dan Kayhart, will provide an opening musical selection.

At 10:20 a.m., there will be a drum roll, advance of colors, the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance led by the Ellsworth Boy Scouts. Pastor Paul Martin, Presbyterian Church, Hudson, will offer the invocation at 10:35 a.m.

Following more musical selections from the band, Auxiliary Co-Presidents Cheryl Demuth and Mary Allyn will introduce guests.

Peggy Hoyer, a Gold Star Mother, will be the featured speaker.

Legionnaires James Harai and Jerald Christiansen will lead the tribute to deceased veterans, after which DeMuth, Allyn and First Vice Commander Francis Langer will preside over the wreath ceremony.

Madelyne Kulow will recite the poem, "In Flanders Field," and Jose Zepeda will sing "America the Beautiful."

A prayer and benediction by Pastor Martin will precede the firing of the gun salute and playing of "Taps," with a drum roll and retirement of colors concluding the program

Afterward, lunch will be served at the Legion Hall, with family members invited. The cemetery visitation schedule shows:

Squad 1: 7:45 a.m., Maple Grove; 8 a.m., United Church of Christ; 8:25 a.m., Zion Covenant; 8:45 a.m., Old Clayfield; and 9 a.m., Clayfield.

Squad 2: 7:45 a.m., St. Francis; 8 a.m., Thurston Hill; 8:15 a.m., Beldenville; 8:35 a.m., El Paso; and 8:55 a.m., Lost Creek.

Squad 3: 7:45 a.m., Hartland Presbyterian; 8 a.m., Bethlehem Lutheran; 8:25 a.m., Bethel Covenant (Moeville); and 8:55 a.m., Trimbelle.

Bay City

The Rev. Steve Timm of United Lutheran Church of Red Wing will be the guest speaker at Bay City observances.

Legion Post 357 and its Auxiliary will visit eight sites on Memorial Day, said Bob Stroupe.

Legion and Auxiliary members will start at 8 a.m. at Eidsvold Cemetery in Esdaile.

The ceremony at Hartland Cemetery will begin at 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m., Legion members will assemble at Tabor Lutheran Church and at 9:30 a.m. ceremonies will be held at the lake shore in Bay City to honor those who died at sea.

The Ellsworth Middle School Band will play and Pastor Timm will speak at a 10 a.m. service at Bay City Cemetery and at a 10:45 a.m. assembly at Trenton Cemetery.

An 11:30 a.m. service at Diamond Bluff Cemetery and a noon observance at Svea Lutheran Cemetery will conclude the activities.

Elmwood

This year's speaker for the Elmwood program is Brigadier General Harold J. Nevins Jr. (ret.), announced Post 207 Commander Marilyn Galoff.

Nevins enlisted in First Battalion, 128th Infantry, in 1966 and was commissioned three years later. After command and staff assignments, he took command of the battalion. In 1994, after four years on the 32nd Brigade headquarters staff, Nevins was assigned to command the 57th Field Artillery Brigade. He returned to the 32nd Infantry

Brigade two years later and became brigadier general in 1997.

From 1998-2001 he served as assistant division commander of operations of the 34th Infantry Division and then as Wisconsin's assistant adjutant general for readiness and training. He retired in 2020.

Post 207 will decorate veterans' graves the week of May 18.

Legion and Auxiliary members will meet at the Village Auditorium at 8:45 a.m. Memorial Day and leave for area cemeteries at 9:00 a.m. Ceremonies are scheduled at these cemeteries: Hatchville, 9:15 a.m.; Oak Ridge (Reed), 9:30 a.m.; Spring Lake, 9:45 a.m.; Farm Hill, 10:15 a.m.; Old Rock Elm, 10:30 a.m.; and Poplar Hill, 11 a.m.

Nevins will speak at the main ceremony, which will begin at 11 a.m. at Poplar Hill Cemetery in Rock Elm. The Elmwood High School Band will participate.

After the ceremony, there will be a potluck dinner at the Elmwood Auditorium. All Legion and Auxiliary members are invited to attend.

Maiden Rock

Maiden Rock Post 158 American Legionnaires will observe Memorial Day at the following cemeteries: Little Plum, 7:25 a.m.; Frankfort, 7:40 a.m.; Porcupine, 7:55 a.m.; Moravian, 8:25 a.m.; Old Sabylund, 8:35 a.m.; New Stockholm Cemetery, 8:50 a.m.; Old Stockholm, 9:05 a.m.; Oakwood Pepin, 9:30 a.m.; New Sabylund, 10 a.m.; Swedish Methodist, 10:15 a.m.; Maiden Rock, 10:45 a.m.; and Lake Pepin lake shore, 11 a.m., for those who died at sea.

Plum City

Plum City Memorial Day services will begin at 8 a.m. at Marie Lund Cemetery in Lund.

A general assembly will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the American Legion Hall. Legionnaires will decorate graves at Free Home Cemetery south of Plum City at 9 a.m., at Ono Cemetery at Grange Hall at 9:30 a.m. and at Union and Catholic cemeteries north of Plum City at 10:15 a.m. American Legion Post 365 decorates the individual graves of 234 veterans at five cemeteries.

This year's visit to the Plum City Care Center to show honor to the homebound veterans will follow the cemetery services at about 11 am.

Members of Post 365 will then proceed to Spring Pond Park for a ceremony, followed by a program and lunch at the American Legion Hall. The guest speaker will be William "Bill" Charlesworth.

Music at all locations will be provided by Michael Bonn and the Plum City Junior High Band.

Prescott

The guest for Prescott's Memorial Day program will be Char McGee, a prominent resident of Prescott.

Events will start at 8:30 a.m. Monday, May 25, when VFW and American Legion members assemble at the Legion Hall on Pearl Street. Rifles will be fired at 9 a.m.

Participants will visit the nursing home (Borner and Orin Streets) at 9:15 a.m., St. Mary's Cemetery in Big River at 9:30 a.m., and St. John's Cemetery at 9:45 a.m. A memorial presentation will be held at 10 a.m. at Mercord Mill Park. Rifles will be fired from a site between the bridges at 10:15 a.m.

Parade line-up will be at 10:30 a.m. at the middle school.

The parade will proceed to "Veterans Triangle" at the entrances of Pine Glen and St. Joseph's cemeteries.

Parade participants will include the veterans' color guard, the high school band, special guests and decorated bikes.

Spring Valley

The Memorial Day program in Spring Valley will start at 9:30 a.m. at Spring Valley Health Care Center, according to Post 227 Commander Jerry Nelson.

The Spring Valley High School Band will play a prelude beginning at 9 a.m. As the program begins, the band will play "The Star Spangled Banner" and local Scouts will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Nelson will give opening remarks and deliver a remembrance for prisoners of war and those missing in action.

Post 227 members will lower the flag to half staff. The Rev. D. Peter Friberg of Gilman-Spring Valley Lutheran Church will give the invocation. Nelson will deliver a tribute to veterans, and the band will play "America the Beautiful."

Legion Auxiliary President Jeanette Timm will preside over the laying of wreaths, and the names of Spring Valley veterans who have died in the past year will be read aloud.

A firing squad salute, the playing of "Taps" and a benediction will end the ceremonies.