Northwest Iowa — The continuing pandemic has caused issues with many things we have come to take for granted. The annual Memorial Day observances, services, and honors are among them.
At Ashton, the Ashton American Legion will be honoring our fallen on Memorial Day at 9:30 a.m. at the cemetery with a short public ceremony. Legion officials say the event will be entirely at the cemetery and they say they are not planning anything at the Legion. The service will be held, weather permitting. Mark Carlson with the Legion says that for those that can not attend, he will try to host a live feed from the ceremony on Facebook.
The Boyden American Legion has decided to cancel the Memorial Day Program that was scheduled for May 25, 2020.
In Doon, the annual Memorial Day Parade and the Memorial Day Services at Hillside Cemetery are canceled this year.
In George, the street flags are up, but Legion officials have canceled the service in the school. Clarence Stubbe with the Legion tells us they do plan to put up 230 big flags on Memorial Day morning at 7 a.m., and retrieve them Monday afternoon at 4 p.m., weather permitting. He says while there will be no program at the school, Legion members will do the 9:30 service at the bridge and throw the wreath. They’ll stop at 9:45 stop at the Veteran’s Memorial, and will process to Evergreen Lawn Cemetery by 10:00 a.m. for the laying of the wreath, but that will be all this year.
The Hull Wagman Koele Post 380 Memorial Day observances that are normally held at the Catholic Cemetery in Hull, the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, and the Hope Cemetery in Hull have all been canceled this year.
In Little Rock, they do plan to hold a service at Pleasant View Cemetery at 10:00 a.m. The service will include the reading of the names of graves being decorated. It will also include a dedication, a salute, and Taps will be played. However, no lunch or fellowship will follow the service.
The Memorial Day Service at the Ocheyedan Cemetery has also been canceled.
The Paullina Legion will be raising the Flag at 10:30 a.m. at the memorial at City Hall and raising the Flag at lake at 11:00 a.m. on Memorial Day, but there will be no program.
The Rock Rapids Memorial Day Services at Riverview Cemetery and Holy Name Catholic Cemetery are canceled this year. Legion volunteers will be putting out the small flags on the graves, but they do not plan to put out the Avenue of Flags at the cemeteries.
Weather permitting, the Sheldon Avenue of Flags is seeking 30 volunteers to put up flags for display on Memorial Day, May 25th at 7:00 a.m. and also 30 volunteers to retire the flags at 5:30 p.m. Wally Wolthuizen says they will need to maintain social distancing practices. Therefore, the number of volunteers will be limited to 30 each time. Volunteers will be taken on a first-come-first-served basis. Volunteers are asked to please report to the east shed of the City Park. The Sheldon Memorial Day services and observances however, are all canceled according to Legion Adjutant Jeremy Beenken. He says they will also not be putting out flags at the cemetery.
Sioux Center and Orange City will hold a joint virtual service at 9:30 a.m. on Monday on Facebook. The service will be closed to the public but it will take place at Memory Gardens Cemetery or at the Sioux Center First Reformed Church if it is raining. Army chaplain Jordan Helming of Sioux Center will be the speaker for the service.
