This Memorial Day, community members are invited to honor those who have fallen while serving the country at four events on Whidbey Island.
The sixth annual Service of Remembrance kicks off at 10 a.m. at the Maple Leaf Cemetery in Oak Harbor, with doors opening at 9 a.m.
The ceremony is hosted by the Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7392, and those who are unable to attend can watch the live broadcast on the Oak Harbor Memorial Day YouTube channel, according to a press release.
The event will feature Capt. Eric Hanks, commanding officer of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, as the keynote speaker and U.S. Navy retired Cmdr. Jack Curtis as the guest speaker.
The Oak Harbor High School NJROTC, ORION Sea Cadets and Sons of the American Revolution will present the colors while the Patriot Guard Riders will stand at attention.
The Scottish American Military Society will bring live music, while Sea Cadet Airman Jackson Housholder will read a poem. Cadet Chief Yosefa Orloff from Naval Station Everett is expected to sing “Angel Flight,” and Oak Harbor High School NJROTC Cadet Lieutenant Junior Grade Spencer Grubbs will perform the National Anthem, according to the museum’s Visitor Services and Public Programs Manager Kelly Davidson.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars are scheduled to lead a wreath laying ceremony, while guests can admire a static display of the Life Flight helicopter. The ceremony is planned to end with NAS Whidbey Island Search and Rescue flying an MH-60S helicopter over the cemetery.
Following the event, guests can bring some food to the open house potluck, held at 2 p.m. at the Whitehead-Muzzall VFW Post 7392, located at 3037 Goldie Road in Oak Harbor.
Coupeville also welcomes the community to join the annual Memorial Day Parade, which begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, winding through North Main and 1st Street, Front Street and Town Park. The parade is followed by a picnic at the park, a remembrance service and a concert.
At the Sunnyside Cemetery in Coupeville, the American Legion Post 129 VFW and the Fleet Reserve will host a flag ceremony and wreath laying service from 1 p.m., with an open house reception at the Veterans of Foreign Affairs Post 7392 at 2 p.m., according to the press release and to the Island County Historical Society.
At 2 p.m., local historians Lee James and Patrick Hussey will tell the history of Whidbey’s “second wave” early settlers, taking guests on a tour of the cemetery. Tickets for the guided tour cost $5 and can be purchased at the Island County Museum or at the tour, with proceeds going to the Island County Museum, according to the Historical Society.
On the South End, the Clinton Cemetery will host its annual Memorial Day service at 11 a.m. on Monday, featuring guest speaker Dale Ann Norris, a retired Navy commander.
A previous version of this story did not include Coupeville’s Memorial Day Parade. We regret the error.
