From staff reports
Organizations throughout Clarion County have announced plans for Memorial Day observances.
Clarion
Commander of the American Legion Post 66 Ken Orsino will be the master of ceremonies for the event. Pastor Harry Hoff of Hope Rising Church of Clarion will lead the invocation and benediction.
The Clarion Area High School band, under the direction of Chris Curry, will play the National Anthem and “Taps,” and the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Clarion’s Boy Scouts of America, Troop 51.
Captain Len Bashline, USANG retired will be the guest speaker.
The American Legion Auxiliary and the VFW will be presenting scholarships. The American Legion Post 66 Honor Guard will provide the rifle salute and auxiliary presidents from the American Legion and VFW will place the wreath. Post 66 American Legion Riders will be present in honor of our veterans.
Following the services at the cemetery, naval services will be held at the Wayne R. Weaver Memorial Bridge at Toby.
A luncheon will be held upstairs at the American Legion located at 530 Main Street in Clarion immediately following the naval service.
In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held upstairs in the American Legion.
For more information concerning the Memorial Day service, contact American Legion Commander Ken Orsino at (814) 671-2694.
Knox
The Berlin Bowser Post 720 American Legion in Knox will hold Memorial Day services Monday, May 31, at the following cemeteries:
9 a.m., St. Mark’s at Kossuth
9:30 a.m., Mt. Pleasant at Shippenville
10 a.m., Providence
10:30 a.m., Mt. Joy
11 a.m., St. Paul Twin Church at Knox
11:30 a.m., Knox Union Cemetery
The public is invited to attend any of these services.
Lamartine
The DeHart-Rossman-Wenner Post 997 will meet at 7:30 a.m. Monday, May 31, at the community building and proceed to the following cemeteries for services:
8:20 a.m., Zion
8:45 a.m., Richland
9:05 a.m., Crossroads
9:25 a.m., Starr
9:45 a.m., Valley
10:15 a.m., Monroe
10:45 a.m., Salem United Church of Christ
11:15 a.m., Salem Lutheran
All legion members and any other servicemen, auxiliary, Boy and Girl Scouts, and other groups wishing to participate are welcome.
Rimersburg
The Shearer-Shick Post 454 of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7132 will host Memorial Sunday, May 30, and Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, commemorative services.
Beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 30, at the Veteran’s Park, Bob Carmichael will act as Master of Ceremonies for the services. Rev. John Bargar, pastor of the Rimersburg United Methodist Church, will be the guest speaker. Dana Solida will present a special musical selection.
In the event of inclement weather, Sunday memorial services will be held in the United Methodist Church in Rimersburg.
The annual Memorial Day parade will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, May 31, starting at the former Rimersburg Elementary School. The program at the cemetery will begin upon the arrival of the parade procession.
The guest speaker will be Burton Kephart of Cranberry whose son, Spc. Jonathan R. Kephart, was killed in Iraq in 2004.
Union High School marching band, with Lisa Hummel as director, will perform special musical selections. Judy Traister will present a vocal selection.
Three Union High School eighth-grade students will participate in the program. Kassidy McCullough, daughter of Terry McCullough of Rimersburg and Misty Maxwell, will recite the “Gettysburg Address,” Nevaeh Smith, daughter of Dustin and Lacy Smith of Rimersburg, will recite “In Flander’s Fields,” and Owen Bish, son of Matt and Jenna Bish of Rimersburg, will recite “America’s Answer.”
In the event of inclement weather, the Monday program will be held at 9 a.m. at Union High School.
Veterans need not be a member of the American Legion or the VFW to participate in either service.
Any veteran desiring to be part of the parade but are not physically able to do so should call Commander of the American Legion, Terry Custer at (814) 473-8364 and transportation will be arranged to and from the cemetery.
New Bethlehem
The Walter W. Craig Post 354 of the American Legion will hold a Memorial Day service for the New Bethlehem community.
The service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 29, at Gumtown Park.
In the event of inclement weather, the service will be moved to the First Baptist Church at the corner of Broad and Lafayette streets.
“This is a very solemn occasion because it focuses on the men and women of the U.S. military who paid the ultimate price in service to their country,” Ray Ishman, a retired Air Force veteran added, saying President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a reminder to all Americans about the sacrifices paid for rights that are unparalleled elsewhere in the world. Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Those who have enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.”
This year’s ceremony will contain a variety of presentations that include vocal and instrumental music, spoken messages that look back to reminders of Redbank Valley area military personnel who have died in service to their country, and a summary of such men who have died during the various wars or military actions in which the U.S. has been engaged throughout its history.
The keynote speaker will be James McCullough of Rimersburg, a Vietnam War-era Navy veteran who has been widely known for his presentation of enactments of President Abraham Lincoln’s speeches.
He developed his role after witnessing known professional actor, James Getty in the role of America’s 16th president. McCullough has presented those enactments over 15 years. He is also widely recognized as a driving force behind the veterans’ museum in Rimersburg.
The program will include patriotic music provided by the Barbershop group, Shades of Harmony, Sandy and Mark Barrett who will present the veterans’ version of “Hallelujah;” mother and son duo, Debbie and Matt Green will perform “Taps” and local Legion Post member Mike Mazzocco will play “Amazing Grace” on his bagpipes.
Additionally, an Angel Flight video is scheduled to be part of the ceremony.
Strattanville
The Strattanville American Legion Post 249 will hold its annual Memorial Day service at 10:30 a.m., Monday, May 31 at Strattanville Legion. In the event of rain, services will be in the sanctuary of the Methodist Church in Strattanville.
Fred Lewis, Post commander, will be Master of Ceremonies for the service.
Guest speaker, John “J.J.” David Johnson lives in Corsica and attended Corsica Union School and Clarion-Limestone High School. He is a 1975 graduate of Clarion-Limestone High School.
Throughout his educational career, Johnson has attained certificates as a taxidermist, AWS certified welder, and Pennsylvania certified Emergency Medical Technician.
He has held the following positions: a social studies teacher, elementary and secondary principal, and superintendent of Clarion-Limestone School District. He retired from his appointed position in 2017.
Johnson has strongly supported the veterans of the U.S. throughout his educational career. He spearheaded project-based educational programs during his teaching, principal, and superintendent careers.
Among these projects, veterans’ monuments and memorials were constructed and established at both Brookville and Clarion-Limestone School Districts. He continues teaching at the Jefferson County prison where he teaches the Bible and biblical history.
Johnson is a member of the Clarion County Foundation for Clarion University of Pennsylvania.
Rev. Raafat Girgis pastor of New Rehoboth and Pisgah Presbyterian churches will give invocation and benediction.
Ron Rosser will place the wreath. Clarion-Limestone band will provide music and local Boy Scouts will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
After the service, there will be a box lunch (eat in or take to go) provided by Community Watch at Strattanville fire hall.
Brookville
Traditional Memorial Day services will be conducted in several places locally in the Brookville area. Members of the American Legion Post 102 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 204 will conduct the traditional services at noon Monday, May 31 on the lawn of the Jefferson County Courthouse.
Immediately following the service at the courthouse, the second phase of the services will take place at the Grand Army of the Republic at the Brookville Cemetery. This was the site of Decoration Day service for many years.
At 1 p.m., the veterans will open a new site at the Richardsville Cemetery for the interment of the ashes of American Flags. Steve Ent, adjutant of American Legion Post 102 said the Richardsville Cemetery Association had donated a double lot for the internment of the ashes.
Retired flags are burned in a cemetery before the ashes are buried. The American Legion and the V.F.W. purchased a memorial stone marking the spot. The vets also purchased a flagpole and light for the site.
The final local event will take place at 3 p.m. in Summerville at the veterans’ memorial.
The Brookville Honor Guard will offer a rifle salute at each event.