Communities to observe holiday

Various events and activities are planned throughout the area during the Memorial Day weekend.

Fort Recovery

The Fort Recovery American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will hold a Memorial Day service at 7 p.m. Friday at the Wabash Bridge on North Wayne Street.

After the service, veteran groups, the high school band, Scouts, 4-H clubs and anyone wanting to march will parade to Monument Park for the remainder of the program. Guest speaker Leo Short will give a presentation, the band will play and the honor guard will fire and play taps.

At 10:30 a.m. Sunday, a memorial service will be held at the Fort Recovery Nazarene Church, 401 E. Boundry St.

Celina and Mendon

At 8:30 a.m. Monday, the Celina American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars and their auxiliaries, along with DAV Chapter 76 and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 783, will assemble at the downtown park in Mendon to march to the St. Marys River. A firing squad will form at the bridge railing and music will be provided by the Parkway school band. Flowers will be cast into the river and the firing squad will have a Salute to the Dead and sounding of taps, accompanied by the band.

The groups will march back to the Mendon Park where the Parkway band will perform the National Anthem. The speaker will be Mendon Mayor William Snider with the Rev. Dean Bruce officiating. The VFW and Legion auxiliaries will place wreaths and there will be a firing squad Salute to the Dead and taps by the Parkway School band.

The groups will then travel and assemble at Mercer Memory Gardens in Celina at 10 a.m. for the National Anthem, placing of wreaths by the auxiliaries, prayer by the VFW and Legion, the firing squad's Salute to the Dead and taps.

At 10:45 a.m., participants will head to Lake Shore Park in Celina for a service at 11 a.m. Mercer County Veterans Office Director Tom Risch will open with a welcome speech and the National Anthem will be performed by the Celina school band.

The Rev. Matt Reynolds will give the prayer and the firing squad will have the Salute to the Dead, followed by taps by the Celina school band.

A full breakfast for participants will be served at the Celina American Legion at 7 a.m.; lunch is available at the post following services.

St. Henry

The St. Henry Memorial Day Mass begins at 9 a.m. Monday at St. Henry Catholic Church. Following Mass, the St. Henry American Legion and St. Henry school marching band will have memorial services at St. Henry Cemetery. The legion and band will proceed to St. Bernard Cemetery in Burkettsville for another ceremony.

Rockford

The Memorial Day parade in Rockford starts at 11 a.m. Monday at the library and ends at the Rockford American Legion (Main and Bridge streets). The Parkway school band will perform and the guest speaker at the Legion will be Douglas Morrow of Van Wert, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, who served 28 years.

New Bremen

The New Bremen American Legion will have a Memorial Day service at 11 a.m. Monday at German Protestant Cemetery.

Maria Stein/Chickasaw

Chickasaw Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9019 and the Maria Stein American Legion Post 571 will hold joint services at a 9 a.m. Mass on Monday at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Catholic Church in Cassella. After Mass, services will take place at the church cemetery followed by refreshments at the VFW hall.

Minster

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6432 and American Legion Post 387 of Minster will have a special Mass at 10 a.m. Sunday in St. Augustine Catholic Church. Veterans are asked to arrive at the church vestibule by 9:45 a.m.

On Monday, the public is invited to a service at 11 a.m. at St. Augustine Catholic Church to honor the deceased veterans. A 21-gun salute will be given by the firing squad after the service.

Following the service there will be a dinner at noon for all veterans, their wives and the widows of deceased veterans.

Osgood

Osgood American Legion Post 588 will hold a Mass at 9 a.m. Monday at St. Nicholas Catholic Church. After rites at St. Martin Cemetery, the legionnaires will head to cemeteries in the Yorkshire and Willowdell area to honor veterans buried at those locations.