MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY WILL HAVE GUEST SPEAKERS

 Cheshire’s annual Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony honoring the men and women who died in America’s armed forces will be held on the Church Green on Saturday, May 25 at 10 a.m.  The Green is directly across the street from Town Hall at 84 South Main Street.  The ceremony is sponsored by the Cheshire Veterans Council, which consists of American Legion Post 92, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10052, Army Air Force Round Table and AmVets. The ceremony is sponsored by the Cheshire Veterans Council, which consists of American Legion Post 92, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10052, Army Air Force Round Table and AmVets.  


The ceremony prepares the Church Green and Veterans Memorial Plaza in front of Town Hall for the annual Memorial Day Parade the next day.  The parade stops at Veterans Memorial Plaza while a brief ceremony is performed and “Taps” is played.  


This year’s speakers include Cheshire residents Gary Rose, Al Adinolfi and John White.  Rose, a professor of political science and an Army veteran, will speak about Cheshire’s veterans.  Adinolfi, a representative in the General Assembly and an Air Force veteran,  will speak about veterans of all wars.  White, commander of the VFW Post, will speak about the heroism of two Marines in Iraq who were killed defending their unit.  Cheshire Mayor Tim Slocum will convey greetings on behalf of the town.  


A parade of color guards—veterans, the Police and Fire Departments, and Girl and Boy Scouts—will open the ceremony.  A Boy Scout will lead the audience in saying the Pledge of Allegiance.  A wreath will be placed at the Civil War monument.  Members of the Cheshire High School VIP Chorus will sing the National Anthem and “America, the Beautiful.”  The ceremony will last about half an hour.


Afterward, Pvt. Lester Rochford VFW Post 10052 will give free cemetery flags to anyone present.  


Memorial Day was originally Decoration Day, an occasion when veterans, townspeople and children marched in parade to cemeteries to decorate the graves of soldiers with spring flowers.  It began after the Civil War and spread across the nation, becoming a national holiday.  Later it was extended to honor all U.S. war dead.   In 1971 Congress designated it as Memorial Day and fixed the date as the last Monday in May.


Last year’s ceremony drew about 150 people.  The Cheshire Veterans Council hopes for an even larger audience this year, and urges the public to attend.