St. Charles Memorial Day to feature parade, picnic and more
Show your respect for troops who have given their lives in service to this country at the St. Charles Memorial Day event on Monday, May 29. Activities begin at 6 a.m. and include cemetery ceremonies, a parade, memorial service and free family picnic. It is sponsored by the St. Charles Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and AMVETS posts.
"There are 28,000 veterans in Kane County," said Event Coordinator Lt. Colonel Mark Powell, (retired). "We hope to see all of our local veterans take part in the activities with the entire community."
The first ceremony begins at 6 a.m. at Baker Community Center, 101 S. Second St., with Boy Scouts posting colors, Honor Guard and an honorary gun salute.
Boy Scout Troops will place flags on the grave sites of veterans at each of the cemeteries in St. Charles. Ceremonies begin at the South Cemetery (east side of Seventh Avenue, north of Madison), continue on to the North Cemetery (west side of Route 25/Fifth Avenue, north of Johnor Avenue), then conclude at the Union Cemetery (east side of Route 25/Fifth Avenue, north of Stonehedge Road).
The parade steps off at 10 a.m. at Sixth and Main streets, and continues to Riverside Avenue.
A special memorial service will immediately follow the parade at 10:45 a.m. at the Freedom Shrine along the river, west of the St. Charles Police Department, 211 N. Riverside Ave. In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held inside the St. Charles Fire Station 1, at 112 N. Riverside Ave.
The memorial service is led by event coordinator Lt. Colonel Mark Powell (Ret.) and will include St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina reading the annual proclamation, a keynote address from Colonel Jake Wyatt (Ret.), and "Taps" played by resident Kevin Gaffney and his daughter Kacie, a junior at St. Charles East High School.
An old-fashioned family picnic follows the conclusion of the memorial service at the historic Pottawatomie Park Pavilion from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Enjoy grilled brats and burgers from the Blue Goose Supermarket, compliments of your local veterans, and complimentary beverages and Culver's Frozen Custard. Enjoy music by local musician Gregory Hyde.
For information about Memorial Day events, contact Mark Powell at mpowell@onpathfinancial.com or (630) 329-6444.