Memorial Day will be celebrated in Morgan Hill, as always, at a
9 a.m. ceremony, on Monday, May 31, organized entirely by Vietnam
vet Eddie Bowers.
Memorial Day will be celebrated in Morgan Hill, as always, at a 9 a.m. ceremony, on Monday, May 31, organized entirely by Vietnam vet Eddie Bowers.
Dozens of people will gather about the Veterans Memorial downtown on Monterey Road in the First Street median, to see the nation’s flag raised, wreaths laid on the memorial and the names of the war dead read solemnly by veteran Kelly Higgins.
The official flag will fly in honor of Mary Grace Leonard, a U.S. Air Force veteran. The name of Leonard’s son Arnold Lee Leonard Jr., will be read among those killed in action. Raised at the same time will be the black POW/MIA Vietnam-era flag.
Karen Crane’s music students from Shadow Mountain School will perform patriotic songs and a minister from Shadow Mountain Church will give a short talk and lead a prayer.
At the ceremony’s end, Steve Johnson will play the bugle call, Taps, on his trumpet. Taps is always played at military burials and to remember the dead.
Bowers has organized both Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies for 13 years and puts together a patriotic display at Mushroom Mardi Gras entirely by himself. He says he does it for other vets.
At 11 a.m. Monday, Bowers and friends go to the cemetery on Spring Avenue for a short service among the graves. The public is welcome.
• Other Memorial Day remembrances include a patriotic concert, “An American Salute” Sunday night at the Morgan Hill Playhouse, 7:30 p.m., free to all. The concert is sponsored by the Morgan Hill Bible Church and will include children’s and adult choirs conducted by Tom Gray. Besides songs, the program will include stories, a Marine Color Guard and details on helping the serving troops.
During the observance Mayor Dennis Kennedy will read a proclamation recognizing veterans, current serving military, those who have lost their lives protecting the country, their relatives and friends. Morgan Hill Playhouse, 17000 Monterey Road at East Fifth Street.
• Gilroy’s Memorial Day Parade will celebrate women in the military. They plan a full day of activities centered around honoring soldiers. The day begins with a Remembrance Ceremony at 9 a.m., Monday, May 31, followed by the parade down 10th Street ending at the Family Fun Day at Christmas Hill Park. Details: www.gilroyparade.com
