Whidbey Island will acknowledge the sacrifices made by those in the armed services in ways both loud and vibrant and quiet and solemn this Memorial Day weekend.
The Town of Coupeville is holding its old-fashioned, small-town Memorial Day Parade down Main Street today.
The procession of marching bands, color guards, classic car groups and more begins at 11 a.m. at Terry Road and ends at Coupeville Town Park.
The intersection of State Highway 20 and Main Street will be closed during the parade.
This year’s grand marshal is Spence Purvis, a longtime Whidbey resident who stormed the beaches at Normandy.
Following the parade, Coupeville Mayor Molly Hughes and Capt. Geoff Moore, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s new commanding officer, will speak at a remembrance ceremony at Coupeville Town Park. Then the Central Whidbey Lions will grill hot dogs for the community.
On Monday, Memorial Day, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Fleet Reserve are honoring fallen heroes in special ceremonies.
Services start at 10 a.m. at Sunnyside Cemetery in Coupeville followed by services at Maple Leaf Cemetery, Oak Harbor at 11:30 a.m.
A reception will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the VFW on Goldie Road.
On South Whidbey, a ceremony at Bayview Cemetery will be hosted by American Legion Post 141 beginning at 11 a.m. Monday. The ceremony will begin by honoring fallen U.S. servicemen with a pledge of allegiance followed by a speech by a guest speaker. A potluck at the post will follow.
There will also be a ceremony at Clinton Cemetery starting at 11 a.m. The service will include flag-raising by the Boy Scouts, patriotic singing, the Daughters of the American Revolution and a speech by Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Gabriel Zaldivar, Maritime Patrol Squadron One, NAS Whidbey.
Historian Lee James will share stories of some of the first residents of Whidbey during the Sunnyside Pioneer Cemetery Memorial Day Heritage Tour at 1 p.m. Monday, May 30. Tour passes cost $8 and are available at the Island County Museum.
Advance purchase is recommended; space is limited. Proceeds benefit Island County Museum.
For more information, call 360-678-3310.
