Published: May 24, 2009 05:17 pm      

Memorial Day events planned across region

Numerous Memorial Day services are planned for the holiday weekend throughout the region.

Those that have been reported to The Tribune-Democrat include:

Ashville

Activities organized by John Lipple Post 4315, Veterans of Foreign Wars, will begin at

9 a.m. Monday with a parade. A highlight of each year’s parade is the appearance of the McConnell Band, made up of members of the McConnell family.

A ceremony will be held afterward at the Lipple post. The featured speaker will be Jack Babich, a 29-year veteran of the Navy and Naval Reserve who has served in the Middle East four times since Sept. 11, 2001.

His most recent tour of duty was in 2006-07 with Multi-National Force-Iraq, said Bob Eyer, a member of Lipple post and a Vietnam War veteran.

Afterward, participants will march to Ashville Cemetery for a ceremony at the grave of the last area veteran to die before Memorial Day.

Ceremonies also will be held at five cemeteries in communities surrounding Ashville where veterans are buried.

A flag raising then will take place at the Dysart War Monument.

Bakersville

A Memorial Day service will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at Mount Zion Lutheran Church.

Conemaugh-Franklin-Parkhill

Conemaugh-Franklin American Legion Post 633, Sgt. Michael Strank VFW Post 5107 at Franklin and Parkhill American Legion Post 970 will hold events Monday.

Members of the three posts will hold a parade at 10 a.m. that will start at the Franklin Loop and conclude at East Conemaugh Memorial Park where a ceremony will take place. Principal speaker will be Edward Wojnaroski, a former state representative from Johnstown.

Prior to the parade, the posts will conduct flag raisings at Bon Air Park, East Taylor Township Municipal Building and at the Parkhill post, said Charles Cannin, Post 5107 commander.

Johnstown

Conemaugh Valley Veterans will hold a wreath-placing ceremony at 10 a.m. today at Veterans Park adjacent to Cambria County War Memorial Arena.

And a Memorial Day service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Sandyvale Cemetery off Hickory Street in Johnstown’s Hornerstown section. Principal speaker will be Army Reserve Lt. Col. Craig A. Minnick, senior legal adviser for the 464th Chemical Brigade, Upper Yoder Township.

The service is being organized by Sandyvale Cemetery Association. Also at the service, association president William R. Horner will speak about plans to develop a memorial garden at the cemetery.

Ebensburg

Memorial Day activities in Ebensburg on Monday will begin with a parade at 10 a.m.

The parade will start forming at 9:30 a.m. on West Highland Avenue at the middle school. It will move on North Center Street, to West High Street, to North Julian Street and to Memorial Park, where a program will be held.

Principal speaker will be Harry Graham, a trustee of Ebensburg VFW Post 4963 and a Navy veteran. This year’s W. Robert Paul Memorial Soloist Award winner is Kurt Kretchman, son of Mark and Marsha Kretchman of Ebensburg and a senior at Central Cambria High School. He will sing “Sweet Soldier Boy” at the program.

The program is a joint effort between Post 4963 and Ebensburg American Legion Post 363.

Geistown

The Ancient Order of Hibernians will place a wreath on the Circle of Irish Priests at 10:30 a.m. today at St. John’s Cemetery in Geistown. The service is to honor priests buried there.

Hastings

Hastings VFW Post 1586 will begin its observance of Memorial Day when program participants meet at the post home on Beaver Street by 8:30 a.m. Monday. They will go to St. Boniface Cemetery and then to Union Cemetery for military observances.

Members then will return to the post home to prepare for the annual parade to St. Bernard Cemetery that will begin at

10 a.m. Upon completion of military rites there, the contingent will move to Veterans Memorial on Beaver Street for a military observance.

Organizations planning to participate in the parade are to be lined up by 9:45 a.m. in front of the former Cambria Heights school building, said post adjutant Joseph Rogal.

Hollsopple

Hollsopple VFW Post 8861 will conduct a service at 11 a.m. Monday at Veterans Memorial Park in Benson.

Principal speaker will be retired Somerset County Court Senior Judge Eugene E. Fike II.

Lowell D. Shaffer, a Korean War veteran and a retired Pitt-Johnstown professor and administrator, will read patriotic poetry.

Isaac Callihan, a seventh-grade student at Conemaugh Township Area High School and recipient of the post’s Patriot’s Pen award, will read his essay titled “Why American Veterans Should Be Honored.” Crystal Dunmeyer, a senior at Conemaugh Township Area and winner of the post’s Voice of Democracy contest, will read her winning essay titled “Service Plus Sacrifice by America’s Veterans Benefit Today’s Youth.”

The post’s officers, led by Commander Merritt Nord, will conduct a solemn service and tribute. The post’s ritual team will present a rifle salute and Taps. Davidsville Boy Scout Troop 114 will recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Geza Balog will be master of ceremonies.

Jackson Township

State Rep. Frank Burns,

D-East Taylor, will be principal speaker at a ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday at Jackson Township Senior Center.

Among other participants will be the Rev. John Weaver, pastor of Summit Chapel United Methodist Church, and Jackson Township Cub Scout Pack 204 and Boy Scout Troop 204.

Johnstown VFW Post 155’s rifle team will participate as well.

There are 1,084 names listed on the center’s Veterans Monument that was dedicated in 2005, noted Frank J. Singel, senior center president.

Lambertsville

Lambertsville Cemetery Association will conduct its 141st consecutive Memorial Day service at 2:30 p.m. Monday in Lambertsville Cemetery. Guest speaker will be Sgt. 1st Class William J. Farris, an Army recruiter covering most of Somerset County. He has been serving in the Army since 1996.

The service will include three components that have been in place for 64 years, said association spokesman Robert E. Gohn of Somerset.

Those components are the Shanksville-Stonycreek High School band, participation of eighth-grade American Legion award recipients and graveside rites by Shanksville American Legion.

This year’s Legion award recipients are Ben Duppstadt and Miranda Ringler. Duppstadt will recite Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” while Ringler will recite “In Flanders Field.”

Pavia

The Pavia Veterans Association will conduct an all-Civil War Memorial Day Program on Monday.

The program will celebrate the 100th an-niversary of the community’s Civil War Soldiers Monument in Mount Zion Reformed Church’s cemetery.

The monument honors the memory of 16 men who left the community to join the Union Army during the Civil War and lost their lives in that conflict.

The program will begin at 9 a.m. when a parade moves from Queen Road and Route 869 near Pavia to the Mt. Zion cemetery. There a program will be held at the soldiers monument followed by a service inside Mount Zion church.

William Roy Mock of Pleasantville, an Air Force veteran and a retired high school teacher, will speak at both the cemetery program and church service. Mock is a member of the Fort Bedford Honor Guard and a life member of Bedford County Historical Society.

He is commander of Gettysburg Camp 112, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

Sixteen Boy Scouts, each representing a soldier whose name is on the monument, each will place a wreath on that monument.

William Snyder of Bedford will portray Abraham Lincoln in celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday anniversary. He will recite the Gettysburg Address at the cemetery program.

The church choir and the Fishertown Band will provide a selection of Civil War-era music.

Richland

East Hills Kiwanis Club of Johnstown will host a ceremony at 1 p.m. Monday in Kiwanis Memorial Park to Veterans on Theatre Drive. Sam Allison of the Civil Air Patrol is scheduled to speak, and Charlotte Aubrey Singers will provide music.

Somerset

The Somerset Memorial Day Committee will hold a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Monday at Somerset County Courthouse.

The speaker will be Charles H. Prince of Somerset, past commander of the Pennsylvania De-partment of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is a Navy veteran who was serving aboard the USS Missouri at the time of the World War II surrender ceremony with Japan.

The theme of this year’s observance is “Far Away, But Never Forgotten.” The observance will honor all Somerset County veterans who lost their lives in service to their country, but who never returned home because they were buried in foreign soil, were lost or missing at sea or classified as killed or missing in action.

There will be musical selections by the Somerset Area High School Band and the Roof Garden Chorus. Boy Scouts from Troop 131 in Somerset and Troop 152 in Friedens will conduct flag ceremonies.

The annual Memorial Day parade in Uptown Somerset will take place at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Westmont

A bicycle contest will be held at 7:30 a.m. Monday at Westmont Middle School to open the borough’s Memorial Day activities.

A parade will follow at

8:30 a.m. along Luzerne Street.

There will be a ceremony at

9 a.m. at the Millcreek Road entrance to Grandview Cemetery. Guest speaker will be F. Alexander Ganzy of Westmont, a former Navy chaplain.

Arnie McFarland will provide entertainment.

Westover

East Ridge-Harmony United Methodist Church will hold a Memorial Day ceremony at

10 a.m. Monday at the cemetery on Ridge Road across from the church. Church member Shawn McGarvey will speak.

Sandwiches, desserts and beverages will be available in the church basement from 9 a.m. to

2 p.m. There will be a charge for the food and drinks, church spokeswoman Diana Rainey said.

Windber

Lowell D. Shaffer, a Korean War veteran and a former Pitt-Johnstown administrator, will be principal speaker at a service Monday in Veterans Park.

The service will be held immediately following a parade that will form at 9:30 a.m. at Windber American Legion Post 137 at

312 14th St. The parade will travel on 18th Street, to Somerset Avenue, to 13th Street, to Graham Avenue, to 14th Street, to Jefferson Avenue and to the park.

Wreaths will be placed by Nick Pascovich, commander of Post 137, and Perry Mock, commander of Windber VFW Post 4795. Windber Area High School Band will play the national anthem. The Windber VFW Ritual Team will handle the rifle salute.