Towns plan annual parades, Memorial Day observances

The following are the individual town schedules for Memorial Day celebrations.

Ashley Falls

Every year the residents of Ashley Falls gather bright and early for their Memorial Day celebration, sponsored by the Ashley Falls Village Improvement Society. On Monday, May 31, the parade will begin at 8 a.m. at the village Green and end at the cemetery on Clayton Road, where the ceremony will take place.

Participants include local veterans, the Sheffield Fire Department, selectmen, Sheffield Whinnies, local Scout troops, 4-H and other groups. Bagpiper Eric Goodchild will lead the march and William Conklin will play taps. Clergy from Trinity United Methodist Church and Greenwoods Community Church will take part. Members of the community will participate as master of ceremonies, singers and readers.

All members of the military, past and present, are encouraged to be a part of the parade (uniforms not required). Youngsters are encouraged to decorate their bikes and ride them in the parade.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the parade will return to the grounds of Trinity United Methodist Church on Route 7A, where juice, coffee and donuts will be served. In the event of rain, the parade itself will be canceled and the ceremony will take place in the Methodist Church, with refreshments in the church hall.

Cornwall

9 a.m. — Remembering veterans at North Cornwall Cemetery

10 a.m. — Seamen’s Memorial, Covered Bridge

11 a.m. — Parade and ceremony in front of Town Hall, followed by the annual carnival and lunch at the UCC

1 p.m. — Outdoor Memorial Day Mass at St. Bridget’s Church in Cornwall Bridge in honor of all United States veterans. Refreshments will follow the Mass.

Falls Village

9:30 a.m. — Parade lines up at Lee H. Kellogg School

9:45 a.m. — Parade steps off

10 a.m. — Ceremony at town Green

Kent

The Memorial Day Parade will form at Kent Center School at 9 a.m., and step off at 9:30 a.m. In the event of rain, there will be no parade; however, ceremonies will be held at the Swift House. The following organizations will be participating:

American Legion Color Guard, et al; other veterans and state Rep. Mary Ann Carson; several antique cars and convertibles (passengers will be elderly and disabled veterans); Kent Center School Band, directed by David Poirier; the Kent Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts; the Kent Girl Scouts and Brownie Scouts; the Kent Fire Department; and a tractor-drawn wagon supplied by William McCann (children riding on the wagon will be under the supervision of volunteers and must remain on the wagon until the end of the parade).

Andy Ocif, adjutant, American Legion Hall Jennings Post 153, will be the parade marshall.

The parade route has changed and is now as follows:

Starting at Kent Center School, the parade will turn right onto Route 341 and enter St. Andrew’s Cemetery through the West Gate. The Rev. Roger White from St. Andrew’s Church will offer a prayer. A 21-gun salute will then follow with an echo.

After leaving St. Andrew’s Cemetery, the parade will turn left on Route 341, continue east and stop in front of the Veterans Memorial on Veterans Way. Note: Only the Color Guard and veterans will continue to the Veterans Memorial. The Rev.Thomas Berberich will offer an invocation, veteran Robert Bauer will place a wreath, and Debbie Bain will then sing “God Bless America.� Andy Ocif, representing the Kent Veterans Committee, will then make a presentation to state Rep. Carson thanking her for her dedication and commitment on behalf of all veterans. A 21-gun salute followed by “Taps� will conclude the ceremonies.

The Color Guard and veterans will then meet up with the rest of the parade at the Civil War Monument. A Kent Center School student will recite the Gettysburg Address, followed by a 21-gun salute and “Taps.� The parade will then continue north on Route 7 and come to a stop in front of the Kent Memorial Library. The Rev. Berberich will offer an invocation, veteran Robert Bauer will place a wreath, and the Kent Center School Band will perform a patriotic song. Also, First Selectman Bruce Adams will read the names of deceased Kent veterans who died as a result of injuries received in combat. A 21-gun salute followed by “Taps� will then take place.

The parade will then continue north on Route 7 with the last stop at the Kent Congregational Cemetery. The Rev. Melinda Keck will offer a prayer and a 21-gun salute and “Taps� will conclude the ceremonies after Bethany Keck sings “America the Beautiful.� This ends the parade.

The American Legion Hall-Jennings Post 153 will provide ice cream for the children and the Kent Lions Club will provide refreshments for everyone in front of the Kent Community House. The Kent Lions Club will also provide a shuttle back to Kent Center School.

Weather permitting, there will be a fly-over featuring two F15s from the Massachusetts Air National Guard.

North Canaan

10:30 a.m. — Parade leaves from Town Hall parking lot

11 a.m. — Memorial Service at the Doughboy Monument

Salisbury

6 a.m. — Members of service organizations meet, Town Hall

8:30 a.m. — Friends of the Scoville Memorial Library sell coffee and donuts on the library lawn

9 a.m. — Marchers line up outside Scoville Memorial Library

10 a.m. — Parade begins; service at cemetery to follow; ice cream party on the town Green follows service

OWL’s Kitchen will hold a food drive on Memorial Day. All parade participants and spectators are encouraged to bring a canned or boxed food item and drop it off at the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service headquarters.

Sharon

The Memorial Day service will be held Monday, May 31. All marchers are asked to form in front of Auto Sport Garage at 9:30 a.m. and behind Sharon Center School. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and proceed down Main Street to the Veterans Memorial.

This year’s speaker will be Sidney Bogardus, who served in the U.S. Air Force with the Strategic Air Command.

All veterans are encouraged to march along with all other Sharon organizations.

For more information, call Bob Loucks at the American Legion Post 126 at 860-364-5814.

In case of rain, Memorial Day services will be held in the gym at Sharon Center School.

North Canaan and Falls

Village cemetery tour

A not-so-quiet, but mostly unsung Memorial Day tradition here is a military honor guard of veterans who head out just after dawn to visit some 15 cemeteries and other sites in North Canaan and Falls Village. Neighbors may hear “Taps� wafting through the air, rain or shine, each year. They certainly are roused by the 21-gun salute, seven riflemen firing three rounds each in honor of fallen servicemen and women.

The public is welcome to join the Canaan VFW, American Legion and the Marine Corps League for any and all of the salutes. The schedule is as follows:

6:30 a.m. — Color guard departs the VFW post for Falls Village cemeteries

6:45 a.m. — Dublin Road burial ground

6:55 a.m. — Mountain View Cemetery

7:05 a.m. — Burial ground on Route 63, across from the transfer station

7:20 a.m. — Music Mountain Cemetery

7:30 a.m. — Cemetery at the corner of Undermountain Road and Route 63

7:40 a.m. — Undermountain Road Cemetery near Barnes Road

7:55 a.m. — Mountain View Cemetery on Sand Road in North Canaan

9:15 a.m. — Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

9:30 a.m. — East Canaan Monument, Route 44 and Lower Road

9:40 a.m. — Hillside Cemetery, Route 44

9:50 a.m. — Moses Mead Road Cemetery

10:00 a.m. — Carlson Road Cemetery

10:05 a.m. — Clayton Corners Cemetery

10:15 a.m. — St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Clayton and Cemetery roads

The color guard heads from there to the North Canaan Town Hall to lead the Memorial Day parade at 10:30 a.m., followed by the memorial service at the Doughboy Monument.