Public invited to Memorial Day ceremonies in Lakeville Cemetery, downtown Oxford

Residents are invited to observe Memorial Day this weekend by attending ceremonies in Addison Township’s Lakeville Cemetery and downtown Oxford.

The ceremony in Lakeville Cemetery (825 Drahner Rd.) is scheduled for Saturday, May 25. It will start at noon, but folks are asked to begin gathering at 11:30 a.m.

Every year, members of American Legion Post 108 organize Oxford’s Memorial Day ceremony in Centennial Park and the parade on M-24 and Burdick St. that follows.

Music will be provided by the North Oakland Concert Band and the Oxford Middle School ensemble directed by Jan Flynn. Marilyn Buchman will sing the national anthem and Joe Schnur will play the bagpipes.

This year’s keynote speakers will be former U.S. Army Capt. Justin Quisenberry and retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Stacey Barker-Isman. Quisenberry is a 2000 Brandon High School graduate who served three combat tours in Afghanistan.

Prayers, the placing of a memorial wreath, a 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps” are also on the agenda.

A potluck luncheon will follow. Folks are encouraged to bring a dish to pass.

Oxford’s observance of Memorial Day will happen on Monday, May 27. It will begin in downtown’s Centennial Park at 10 a.m.

The park ceremony will include speeches, prayers, the laying of wreaths and the placing of dog tags on white crosses representing all of the Oxford men who died in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Vietnam War.

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, who represents Michigan’s 8th District, will serve as the keynote speaker.

Immediately following the ceremony, the Memorial Day parade will commence. It will head north along S. Washington St. (M-24), then proceed west on W. Burdick St.

The parade will end at Ridgelawn Memorial Cemetery, located on the north side of W. Burdick St., just west of the Polly Ann Trail.

There will be a second ceremony in the cemetery. It will include prayers, the placing of a wreath, the playing of “Taps” and a 21-gun salute.

 

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