Where to find Memorial Day ceremonies, parades in the Sauk Valley

With a number of ceremonies, parades and speakers planned throughout the Sauk Valley on Memorial Day, here is a list of what local communities will be doing to remember the fallen.

Dixon

A Memorial Day service will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, May 26, at the Dixon riverfront. It will be followed by a 10 a.m. parade to Oakwood Cemetery, 416 S. Dement Ave. The parade starts on the riverfront and goes up Peoria Avenue to Second Street then turns left onto Second Street and goes east to Dement Avenue, then turns left onto Dement Avenue and proceeds to Oakwood Cemetery for a service.

After the service at Oakwood, Dixon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 540 will conduct memorial services at Chapel Hill Cemetery, 1121 N. Galena Ave. Lunch will be served afterward at Dixon American Legion Post 12, 1120 W. First St., and Dixon VFW Post 540, 1560 Route 38. Everyone is invited to attend.

Sterling

Sterling American Legion Post 296 invites the public to a Memorial Day ceremony to salute veterans who have died.

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Monday, May 26, at the Grandon Civic Center in Sterling.

Guest speaker scheduled for the ceremony will be Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ikaika Tautua, serving with the U.S. Army Sustainment Command at the Rock Island Arsenal.

Inclement weather will move the ceremony to the Sterling High School Centennial Auditorium.

Rock Falls

Rock Falls American Legion Post 902 will host a ceremony at 9 a.m. Monday, May 26, at Rock Falls Lower Dam Park, Rock Falls. There will be a gun salute to honor fallen soldiers.

A ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at Coloma Township Cemetery, 908 Avalon St. The Rev. Dalmus Meeks will be the keynote speaker. A lunch will be served at the American Legion Hall, 712 Fourth Ave.

Oregon

Oregon VFW Post 8739 has announced this schedule of events:

9 a.m.: Place wreaths at the historic Ogle County Courthouse
10 a.m.: Service begins at Riverside Cemetery in the 200 block of North Third Street. Scouts will raise the flag and place flowers on graves. The speaker will be retired CMS Robert Coulter, who will be followed by a rifle salute and “taps”
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The VFW at 1310 W. Washington St. will be the site of a bounce house, games for kids, food trucks, local vendors, 50/50 raffle, and silent auction and bake sale. Lightning Bingo will be offered at 5:30 p.m.

Polo

Polo’s Memorial Day Parade will be at 9:30 a.m. Veterans will meet at 9 a.m. in the parking lot behind the Lamplight at 124 E. Mason St. The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m.

The parade will head west down Mason Street then north on state Route 26 to Fairmount Cemetery for a ceremony.

Fulton

Volunteers are needed to honor deceased veterans in Fulton by placing flags at their graves at 1 p.m. Friday, May 23, at the South cemetery.

Fulton American Legion Post 402 will provide the flags and markers.

On Memorial Day, May 26, the American Legion will conduct a solemn ceremony at noon in Fulton’s Veterans Memorial Park located on Route 84 and 10th Avenue next to Fulton Dental Associates.

For information, call post commander Bill Blecha at 815-589-3805.

Morrison

Morrison’s annual parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 26, march through the downtown, and then head up the hill to Grove Hill Cemetery, 400 E. High St. A remembrance ceremony will begin at the cemetery after the parade’s conclusion.

Prophetstown and Lyndon

Prophetstown American Legion Post 522 will host Memorial Day services in Lyndon and Prophetstown on Monday, May 26.

The Lyndon service will start at 9 a.m. at the Lyndon Cemetery.

The Prophetstown service will start at 10 a.m. A short parade will start at Third and Washington streets and end at the Eclipse Square Veterans Memorial Park, followed by the ceremony.

In the event of inclement weather, only one service will be at 10 a.m. at Prophetstown Middle School.

Mendota

The Mendota Memorial Day program will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 26, at Restland Cemetery Memorial Gardens, Mendota.

The Veterans Memorial Council, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4079 and Auxiliary and American Legion Post 540 will participate.

The opening address will be delivered by master of ceremonies Bill Hunt. Invocation and benediction will be by Jay Miller. Guest speaker will be Jeff Simonton, chief operating officer at Black Brothers.