by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
There will be four Memorial Day ceremonies in the Sauk Rapids-Rice area Monday, May 30 – one in Sauk Rapids, three in Rice and its immediate area.
At 9 a.m., participants will gather at the cemetery near Sauk Rapids Middle School. There will be a Mounting of the Colors, a prayer by a chaplain, the Pledge of Allegiance, a patriotic medley by the Sauk Rapids-Rice Band, guest speaker State Sen. Michelle Fischbach, the Placing of the Wreath by members of the Sauk Rapids American Legion and VFW, a rifle salute and the playing of Taps.
The Rice American Legion will host three ceremonies.
The first will start at 9:15 a.m. at the Langola Township Cemetery.
The second is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. at the Graham United Methodist Church Cemetery. The Sauk Rapids-Rice High School Band will perform for that observance. The church is located at 2265 135th St. NE.
The third will take place starting at 11:20 a.m. at the Rice Memorial Monument, located at the entrance to the Immaculate Conception Church Cemetery. It’s located in downtown Rice just south of Main Street and just to the west of Hwy. 10.
All of those ceremonies will include an Invocation, the reading of names of the veterans buried in those cemeteries, Posting of the Colors, the playing of Taps and the Placing of the Wreath, as well as comments from guest speakers.
At the conclusion of the third and last ceremony, all are invited to the Rice American Legion for food and beverages.
