Solemn tributes to fallen service men and women planned for Memorial Day in Elgin area

For many Americans, Memorial Day weekend means backyard barbecues, boating, watching the Indy 500 and is the unofficial beginning of summer.

Lest anyone forget, however, the last Monday in May is a federal holiday because it’s the day on which the country honors military personnel who perished while serving in the six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

In keeping with the true spirit and intention of the day, here is a list of what Elgin and surrounding towns have planned for the extended Memorial Day weekend.

Carpentersville

The village will hold a wreath laying ceremony at 10 a.m. on Memorial Day, May 27, at Veterans Garden in Carpenter Park, 275 Maple Ave. For more information, call 847-426-3439.

East Dundee

East Dundee bar and grill Bandito Barney’s is sponsoring The James McCulla Jr. fireworks show Friday. The presentation will begin sometime after dusk and will be shot off from the footbridge over the Fox River between East and West Dundee. For more information, visit online dundeestpats.org/fireworks.

Elgin

• The Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association will be presenting four events on Memorial Day, May 27.
• A Catholic Mass followed by a ceremony commemorating the fallen will take place at 8:30 a.m. in Mount Hope Cemetery, 1001 Villa St.
• A service concluding with a rifle salute and “Taps” will take place at 9 a.m. in the Garden of Honor at Lakewood Memorial Park, 30W730 Route 20.
• The Elgin Navy Club and the Elgin Marine Corps League will pay tribute to veterans interred at sea with a program beginning at 9:40 a.m. in Veterans Memorial Park, 274 N. Grove Ave.
• Elgin’s largest Memorial Day commemoration will take place beginning at 11 a.m. in Bluff City Cemetery, 945 Bluff City Blvd. This year’s program will pay tribute to the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Keynote speaker will be Jill Smith, Army veteran and senior vice commander of Elgin American Legion Post 57. This program will feature the Elgin Master Chorale and the Northwest Baptist Academy Band. Students with the Fox Valley Young Marines will read Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and General John Logan’s Orders, which established Memorial Day. The gathering will conclude with a roll call of deceased veterans, a rifle salute and the playing of “Taps.” A free shuttle bus will pick up riders at the main gate and east gate before and after the service for transportation to and from the ceremony area. The service will also be broadcast live on WRMN-1410 AM.  A video of the program will be available later in the day and posted on the city of Elgin Facebook page.
• The cemetery is also hosting 34 tribute towers from “Remembering Our Fallen,” a traveling exhibit featuring photos of almost 5,400 of the nation’s military fallen from Sept. 11, 2001 to Aug. 30, 2021. For more information, go online to www.patrioticproductions.org/rememberingourfallen.
• The Elgin subdivision off West River Road will be holding a ceremony at 11 a.m Saturday in the lower level of its clubhouse. This year will also be the 10th anniversary of the dedication of Willow Lakes Estates’ Memorial Island and Monument. For more information, email Ray Russell at rerussell1862@msn.com.

South Elgin

South Elgin will be placing American flags at the gravesites of veterans buried at South Elgin Cemetery, 1051 E. Middle St. The flags will be on display a few days ahead of Memorial Day and through the holiday weekend. For more information, call 847-622-0003.

West Dundee

• The Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be on display from Wednesday, through Memorial Day, May 27, at Randall Oaks Park, 750 Randall Road. For more information, go online to truepatriotscare.com/2024wallthatheals/.
• There will be a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Monday in River Valley Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 14N689 Route 31, West Dundee. For more information, email Alison Wisette at rvmgdundee@gmail.com or call 847-426-3031.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.