Lake County Memorial Day events
Today is Memorial Day and for some, it's a chance to be outside and have a picnic.
For others, it's a much more solemn experience, a chance to remember those who gave their lives for this country.
In Lake County, local VFWs, American Legion posts and villages are sponsoring memorial events. Here's a list:
Today
• Antioch: Antioch VFW Post 4115 program at 10:30 a.m. at the VFW hall, 75 North Ave. Call (847) 356-5393.
• Fox Lake: Ceremony at the Metra train station's soldier memorial at 11 a.m. at Grand Avenue and Nippersink Drive. Call (847) 587-2151.
• Fort Sheridan: Ceremony at the Fort Sheridan Cemetery at 11:45 a.m. The public is invited to attend. The cemetery is north of Old Elm Road on Sheridan Road.
• Gurnee: Gurnee American Legion Post 771 hosts a ceremony at noon outside of the village's police headquarters at O'Plaine Road and Washington Street. Mayor Kristina Kovarik will speak at the event at the Warren Township veterans memorial. Gurnee Elementary District 50's Viking Middle School band will perform.
• Ceremony at 2 p.m. at Highland Memorial Park Cemetery, just outside of Gurnee at Hunt Club Road and Route 120.
Lake Villa: The VFW Lake Villa Memorial Post 4308 parade at 1 p.m. at Palombi School, 133 McKinley Ave. It proceeds to Lehmann Park for a memorial tribute. Scheduled to speak is U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean. A new veterans memorial to be placed at the foot at the Lehmann Park flag pole will be dedicated at the ceremony.
• Lake Zurich: The Lake Zurich American Legion's parade starts at 10 a.m. It forms at the American Legion Hall, 51 Lions Drive, heads south to Route 22, west to Old Rand Road and finishes at the Lake Zurich Veteran's Monument in front of the police station, 200 Mohawk Trail. It will be followed by an hour-long ceremony. The guest speaker is Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Kelly.
• Libertyville: The annual parade kicks off at 9:15 a.m. from the downtown Metra station, goes south on Milwaukee Avenue to Cook Park at 9:45 a.m. for a ceremony. The Libertyville American Legion Hall hosts an open house with donuts and coffee followed by an open house at the Libertyville VFW hall, 293 Peterson Road.
• Lincolnshire: Service at 10 a.m. in North Park on Riverwoods Road just south of Everette Road.
• Lindenhurst: Program at 10 a.m. at the veterans memorial, 2301 Sand Lake Road. Kevin Moore will be the keynote speaker.
• Mundelein: American Legion Post No. 867 and the village host a celebration. A parade is set to kick off at 10 a.m. at Veteran's Point on Hawley Street. It will end at Memorial Park, 275 N. Pershing Ave., with a short ceremony and a speech from Mayor Kenneth H. Kessler.
• Round Lake area: Parade begins at 10 a.m. at the American Legion on Main Street in Round Lake Park. There will be 54 participants representing the Round Lake area and Hainesville. The parade proceeds to Main Street and Cedar Lake Road where it will stop for a brief ceremony. There, a flag flying that was given to Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes from his father-in-law, who was a World War II service man, will be taken down. The parade will continue to Veterans Park at Cedar Lake Road and Clarendon in Round Lake Beach for a remembrance ceremony. Pastor Lisle J. Kauffman of Calvary Presbyterian Church of Round Lake, will begin the ceremony. Mayors Gentes, Rich Hill of Round Lake Beach, Jeanne McCue of Round Lake Park and Ted Mueller of Hainesville are among the speakers.
• Vernon Hills: A service will be held at 10 a.m. at the Willow Lawn Cemetery, 24090 Route 45.
• Wauconda: Parade will line up at the Wauconda Park District and Wauconda High School at 9 a.m. It starts at 10 a.m. at 500 N. Main St., heads south to Main and Route 176 to the American Legion Hall, 500 S. Main St. Ceremony starts about 11:45 a.m. The guest speaker is Tammy Duckworth, who ran for Congress and is presently Illinois' veterans affairs director.
• Waukegan: Parade steps off at 10:30 a.m. from Grand Avenue and Genesee Street, proceeds south to Washington and west to Veterans Plaza at Washington and West streets. A ceremony will be held at the plaza after the parade.