Memorial day march, ceremony planned

MAT-SU — For the family, friends, comrades-in-arms and descendants of the more than 1.3 million U.S. military servicemen and women who died defending the U.S., Memorial Day is a time to honor, grieve, give thanks and remember.

In the Mat-Su, Memorial Day events do that on a personal, local level, beginning with the annual march to the Wasilla Aurora Cemetery.

The 25th annual Alaska Veterans Motorcycle Club Byers Lake Memorial Day Run and Veterans Ceremony is at 2 p.m., May 26 at the Alaska Veterans Memorial at Mile 147.1, Parks Highway.

The rest of this year’s Memorial Day events are on Monday.

Organized by the local Amvets posts — this year, it’s Post 11 — will host the march, which will leave the Wasilla Post Office on Main Street at about 10:45 a.m., Monday.

The march to the cemetery will conclude with a ceremony at the gravesite of a soldier, said Clinton Hiler of Amvets Post 11.

“That’s the let the family know their soldiers are not forgotten and they are not forgotten,” Hiler said.

Everyone is invited to participate in the march, Hiler said.

From there, residents and visitors will gravitate to the annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Veterans Wall of Honor at the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau. Local military support organizations rotate organizing and hosting the ceremony, and this year that honor falls to VFW Post 9365 of Wasilla.

The wall ceremony starts at 1 p.m., and will feature the VFW’s own Alex Craft as speaker. Also, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich will attend the event this year, the VFW reports.

Following the ceremony, most of the military groups in the Valley host open houses. For example, American Legion Post 15 in Palmer — 1550 Mystic Cir. — will have a barbecue from noon to 4 p.m. with a band. It’s potluck, so bring a dish to share. VFW Post 9365, 301 E. Lake View Ave., will host an open house following the ceremony.

To add other Memorial Day events to this listing, send information to news@frontiersman.com.