More Than a Holiday

I t's the beginning of the summer season - a chance to get away for a long weekend of camping, boating or other outdoor sports. Or maybe it's a chance to stay home and relax and do some yard work. But Memorial Day is more than just a holiday.

According to Wikipedia, the source of all modern information, Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day. It originated after the civil to com- memorate Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service. It's also a day to remem- ber all loved ones who are gone.

In Dayton and Waitsburg, local American Legion members place flags on the graves of veterans in both city's cemeteries. Many graves - of veterans and non-veterans - are also decorated with flowers. If you haven't seen our local cemeteries on Memorial Day weekend, we suggest you go take a look. It's a site to behold.

There are more people buried in our local cemeteries than there are residents in those towns. And there are hundreds of veterans among them.

In her front page story this week, Dena Wood de- scribes the efforts taken more than 13 years ago to cre- ate the memorial wall at the Waitsburg Cemetery. It's a wonderful tribute to local veterans.

This weekend, we highly suggest that you get out of town and enjoy the holiday, if you can. Or, stay home and get some weeds pulled. But this weekend, or sometime soon, we hope you'll take some time to go to one of our local cemeteries and see how they are transformed on Memorial Day.

Our local veterans are planning some special events for for Monday as well.

Dayton:

7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. - American Legion will be providing a breakfast for veterans and friends at the American Legion Hall at 211 East Clay Street.

11:00 a.m. - A service will be held in the Dayton City Cemetery, honoring veterans who have passed in the last year. There will be a rifle salute and taps will be played.

Waitsburg:

11:00 a.m. - The annual Veterans' Wall Program will be held at the Waitsburg City Cemetery on East 8th Street. There will be four speakers at this years' ser- vice and nine names will be dedicated to the Wall. The program will include patriotic music and a rifle salute. Limited seating is available, so bring your own lawn chair. Following the program, a potato bar luncheon will be held at Town Hall.