Tri-Cities Memorial Day services
Aurora
• Aurora's Memorial Day Parade will step off at noon Monday, May 25, at River and Benton streets downtown. It will continue along Broadway and Downer Place to Middle Avenue. The pre-parade program hosted by Retired Senator Bob Mitchler will begin at 11:15 a.m. at the reviewing stand at 20 E. Downer Place. For information, call (630) 264-INFO.
Batavia
• The Batavia Overseas Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1197 and its Auxiliary and American Legion Post 504 will conduct the annual Batavia Memorial Day Ceremonies at 10 a.m. Monday, May 25. This year's speaker is U.S. Rep. Bill Foster. John Heath and The Batavia High School band will provide music.
On Sunday, May 24, the VFW and American Legion will decorate the graves of veterans at the Batavia East Side and West Side cemeteries. The Batavia Overseas Post 1197 offers memorial bricks at the Veterans Memorial at the Post Home. Any honorably discharged U.S. veteran can purchase a brick for $50.
To remember Veteran's Memorial Day weekend, members of the World War II Historical Re-enactment Society will stage a battle re-enactment of a small unit action in which blank-firing weapons and period vehicles will be used. The battle times are at noon and 3 p.m. The living history campsites will be open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday. For details, call Dave Fornell at (630) 961-1623.
• On Sunday May 24 at 2 p.m., Boy Scout Troop 21 and Batavia Cares will place American flags on veterans' graves. For details, call Batavia Cares at (630) 687-1943.
• Lt. Col. Ken Carr, chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve, will give a special memorial sermon, "The Godly Soldier," at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 24. The service will be part of the regular Sunday service at Christ the King Church in the East Side Community Center, Batavia.
Elburn
The annual Elburn Memorial Day Parade, hosted by American Legion Post 630, starts at 9 a.m. Monday, May 25 at Lions Park, 500 Filmore and ends at Blackberry Creek Cemetery, 43W390 Main Street Road. There is a brief service at the cemetery, then return to Lions Park for food and social events. For details, visit www.elburn.il.us/.
Geneva
• The Geneva Memorial Day celebration begins with a Color Guard rifle salute at 6 a.m. Monday, May 25 at the East Side Cemetery, off Bennett Street, then proceeds to the State Street bridge for a ceremony with flowers strewn on the river, followed by salutes around 6:30 a.m. at the Kane County Veterans' Memorial at the Kane County Government Center, 719 S. Batavia Ave., and at 7 a.m. at Geneva Township Senior Center, 400 Wheeler Drive. The Memorial Day parade steps off at 10 a.m. near the Geneva Metra Station and continues down Third Street to the West Side Cemetery, Second and Stevens streets. At the cemetery, Dennis Enneking, a Vietnam veteran and post member, will speak. For details, call the Geneva post at (630) 232-2171.
Kaneville
The village of Kaneville will hold its 114th annual Memorial Day Program on Monday, May 25.
The Kaneland High School band will provide special music, and all armed services and attending veterans will be recognized. The program will start at 10 a.m. at the David Werdin Community Center, 2S101 Harter Road. It will be followed by placement of gravesite flowers and a 21-gun salute at the Kaneville Cemetery. Refreshments will be served. A community potluck will be held at the Kaneville Community Center Pavilion starting around noon. Meat and drinks will be provided, but bring a dish to pass.
North Aurora
• The Messenger Public Library, 113 Oak St. in North Aurora, will host a special program, "My Experiences In Vietnam: A Soldier's Memoir" at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 28. The program will be presented by local veteran Jim Davidson, winner of multiple Purple Heart awards. For information and to register for the program, contact the library at (630) 896-0240, ext. 2305.
St. Charles
• The St. Charles Memorial Day observances on Monday, May 25 will begin with the flag raising ceremony at 5:30 a.m. at the Baker Community Center, 101 S. Second St. It will continue at 6:20 a.m. at St. Charles South Cemetery on the east side of Seventh Avenue, north of Madison. The Boy Scouts from Troop 1 will place flags on the gravesites of veterans. They will then visit the North Cemetery, and then the Union Cemetery to place flags.
The Memorial Day Parade will start at 10 a.m. at Fifth and Main streets. After the conclusion of the parade, there will be a Memorial Day Ceremony at Freedom Trail (along the Fox River) behind the police station. For details, call Mark Powell at (630) 587-6444.