Monday's Memorial Day celebration in Portsmouth will begin at 9 a.m. at the KIA/MIA Memorial in Tracy Park, headed up by Gene Davis, president of the memorial, with guest speaker, Frank Lewis.
At 9:30 a.m., those participating in the Memorial Day parade will begin lining up at Tracy Park.
It is set to step off at 10, just as a pair of F-16 fighter jets fly over downtown.
The parade will travel south on Chillicothe Street to the Roy Rogers Esplanade, east on Gallia Street to Offnere Street, and north on Offnere Street to Greenlawn Cemetery.
"We ask the public for a couple of things," said James Saddler of American Legion Post 23. "First, we want them to enjoy the parade, but we don't like for our parade participants to toss candy or flyers, political stuff or business stuff out of their moving vehicles, because if some little child ran out, they could get run over. And two - I don't think the city wants to clean up after us."
Saddler said the Memorial Day Association also asks those who participate in the parade muffle their drums, turn off their loud speakers on their vehicles, and get in, what he termed, "a solemn state," at the base of Offnere Street just as the parade begins the trek up the hill until they pass Greenlawn Cemetery.
"Then, at that time, they can turn them back on, but we want a solemn situation to the cemetery, coming into Soldier's Circle," he said.
Throughout the route, Saddler said American Legion Post 471 will be providing water for those involved in the parade or those nearby watching the festivities.
The honorary grand marshal for the parade will be Bob Myers, a World War II veteran from Wheelersburg. The grand marshal will be Robert Kimball, incoming commander of the Department of Ohio for the American Legion.
World War II veteran Paul Morton and Vietnam veteran Wendell Skinner, commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, will speak at the cemetery.
"Our featured speaker will be Lt. Col. George Glase," said Dave Bussler, the master of ceremonies from the Memorial Day Association. "He's active duty U.S. Army. Col. Glase is a liaison officer with the Pentagon right now. He has family here in Scioto County. He is a graduate from the U.S. Military Academy. His first assignment with the 101st Airborne in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and he just returned back from a 15-month tour in Baghdad (Iraq)."
Bussler said anyone who would like to be a part of the Memorial Day Association can call American Legion Post 23.
And he said there is a more immediate need.
"We need volunteers," Bussler said. "We've got flagging of the graves at Greenlawn Cemetery Friday, Saturday and Sunday of this weekend, and any organization, or Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or anybody that wants to help us put the flags on the graves should be up there at about 9 a.m.. Rhonda Mason is the coordinator."
After the ceremony at Greenlawn Cemetery, Saddler said some of those involved in the Memorial Day Association will be going to the Portsmouth Fire Department's main location to join in a memorial service.
"The bell out front is a monument, and on it, we have the names of retired firefighters who have passed away," said Portsmouth Fire Chief Bill Raison. "Next to it is a marble podium with the names of firefighters who have died in the line of duty."
Raison said the fire department memorial will take place at 1:30 p.m. Monday.
"At 3 o'clock we will be meeting down at the Court Street Landing on the Ohio River for the laying of the wreath. We have a memorial down there, and we will have a closing ceremony there for all the military veterans, men and women, that were lost at sea," Saddler said. "The Auxiliary ladies of Post 23, Paula Meadows, will be making up a styrofoam anchor with little flowers on it, and during the program that is chaired by Sam McKibben of WNXT, we will float the anchor out into the Ohio River, with the assistance of some people from the Shawnee Boat Club."
Saddler said the days festivities should end at about 3:30 p.m.
The Minford Memorial Day parade will take place Monday beginning at West Street.
Parade organizers said anyone who wishes to participate should contact Harold White at (740) 776-6843, and be there at 10:30 a.m. The parade will begin at 11, and will march to Bennett Cemetery, where ceremonies will take place.
The speaker for the ceremony will be Rep. Tanya Pullin, D-South Shore (98th District).
A Memorial Day parade Monday at 11 a.m., will highlight South Webster Bloom Township Memorial Day observance.
The parade will begin at South Webster High School, and the ceremony will be at the gazebo on North Jackson Street.
James L. Flannery Post of the American Legion in South Shore, Ky. will have a memorial service at 10 a.m. Monday at the post, located at 8 Clark Ave., involving an honor guard and a firing squad.
Wheelersburg resident Gene Bennett, senior special assistant to the general manager of the Cincinnati Reds, and member of the Major League Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame, will be the grand marshall of the Memorial Day Parade in Wheelersburg, Saturday. Charles Varney, a Memorial Day Committee of Porter Township member, said those wishing to participate in the parade will gather at 10 a.m., at the Kroger parking lot, with the parade set to begin at 11 a.m.
The parade will proceed along Gallia Pike from Ohio 522 to Porter Township Park, where the observance will take place beginning at noon.
Porter Township Trustee Robert Walton will serve as the master of ceremonies, and James Saddler, past commander of American Legion Post 23 will be the keynote speaker.
A special feature of the observance will be an unveiling of the Veterans Wall, a Wheelersburg Veterans Committee project.
Lucasville Memorial Day ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday morning at 10 a.m. when a parade will form behind US Bank. The parade will leave that area at 11 a.m., proceeding to Lucasville Cemetery.
Howard Richard will ride on a float and perform the role of Uncle Sam.
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